Elodie Collins 
Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Jen Sovada, general manager for public sector at Claroty and a Wash100 winner, said the combination of data overload and automation without “disciplined tradecraft and healthy skepticism” is a dangerous trend in intelligence.
In a recent interview with the virtual magazine NatSec@Work, the intelligence and national security leader added that the proliferation of deepfakes, synthetic media and artificial intelligence-generated narratives could exacerbate the challenge.
“When everything is an alert, a feed or a dashboard, it becomes easy for both humans and algorithms to chase what is loudest or most emotionally charged and miss the quiet, slow burn anomalies that really matter,” she explained, adding, “This is a theme that comes up often when there is a lone dissenting voice in a room and having the courage to stick with the quieter signal.”
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How Can Analysts Safely Adopt AI for OSINT?
AI is already reshaping intelligence, according to Sovada. The technology, she pointed out, allows analysts to fuse commercial imagery, social media posts, financial data and technical telemetry to identify patterns that humans may not be able to recognize immediately.
However, AI use in open-source intelligence can only work if analysts can question the output and understand the limitations of the technology, she said.
“One of the things I emphasize, whether on podcasts or in classrooms, is that the real breakthrough will come when OSINT, AI, and classified collection are integrated into workflows that are transparent, auditable, and explainable, so analysts can move from ‘find the data’ to ‘frame the decision’ without losing accountability,” she told the publication. “We need our analysts to move from the ‘what happened’ to the ‘why it happened’ and ‘what’s next.’”
Who Is Jen Sovada?
Sovada joined Claroty in April 2025. She previously served as president of the public sector at technology company SandboxAQ. She provides advisory services to Legion, Elanah.AI, Obviant, Squadra Ventures and through the consulting firm she founded called Boadicea Solutions, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Her military career spans 25 years of service in the Air Force, where she held various leadership positions, including commander of the 22nd Intelligence Squadron, director of operations for the Air Combat Command Intelligence Squadron and head of talent management for the military branch’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance enterprise.
