US Spies want Algorithms to Spot Hot Trends

"The U.S. intelligence community wants a sharp competitive edge on the world’s best and brightest ideas. In an effort to find the next big thing before it happens, they’re looking to do away with fallible human trendspotters, and enlist an algorithmic system to “scan the horizon” and tap into the first signs of burgeoning memes in science and technology."

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/10/u-s-spies-want-algorithms-to-spot-hot-trends/

 

They could subscribe to an RSS feed of Next Big Future as a starting point to collect data to feed into their algorithms.

-- Tom

 

It sounds like they want the impossible, software that predicts the future, and for what purpose other than a head start on coercing developers?

 

Looks like it won't be long before they're beta testing software to enable remote insight into human thought processes. That's one beta test I won't
be applying for!!