Today on Coffee & Conflict, Joshua Huminski is joined by Anthony Vinci, author of The Fourth Intelligence Revolution: The Future of Espionage and the Battle to Save America, to examine how intelligence has moved from a government function to something that now permeates everyday life. Vinci traces the evolution from earlier intelligence eras to what he describes as a fourth revolution, where AI, data, and global competition with adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran are reshaping espionage in real time. The conversation explores how this new environment blurs the line between state and society, why individuals have become both targets and participants in intelligence collection, and whether the U.S. intelligence community is prepared for a landscape that is expanding faster than its traditional structures.

Is the intelligence community structured to keep up with an AI-driven environment that is evolving faster than its institutions? What role should Congress, oversight, and private companies play as intelligence expands beyond traditional government boundaries? And as counterintelligence threats move into the digital and civic space, what does an information-resilient society look like and how will the role of the intelligence officer evolve in the years ahead?

You can learn more about The Fourth Intelligence Revolution, and purchase a copy of the book, here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250370907/thefourthintelligencerevolution/

Check out today’s experts on Twitter:

@joshuachuminski

@anthonyjvinci

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*Note: This episode was recorded on February 11, 2026

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Season 2 Episode 9 - The Fourth Intelligence Revolution: The Future of Espionage and the Battle to Save America by Dr. Anthony Vinci