US intelligence firms tap into neurodiversity ‘superpowers’

Staring closely at the screen, Jordan Wright deftly picks out a barely distinguishable shape with his mouse, bringing to life a stark blue outline from a blur of overexposed features.

It’s a process similar to the automated tests that teach computers to distinguish humans from machines, by asking someone to identify traffic lights or stop signs in a picture known as a Captcha.

Only in Wright’s case, the shape turns out to be of a Tupolev Tu-160, a supersonic strategic heavy bomber, parked on a Russian base. The outline — one of hundreds a day he picks out from satellite images — is training an algorithm so a US intelligence agency can locate and identify Moscow’s firepower in an automated flash.

It’s become a run-of-the-mill task for the 25-year-old, who describes himself as on the autism spectrum. Starting in the spring, Wright began working at Enabled Intelligence, a Virginia-based start-up that works largely for US intelligence and other federal agencies. Founded in 2020, it specialises in labelling, training and testing the sensitive digital data on which artificial intelligence depends. 

Peter Kant, CEO of Enabled Intelligence, said he was inspired to start the company after reading about an Israeli programme to recruit people with autism for cyberintelligence work. The repetitive, detailed work of training artificial intelligence algorithms relies on pattern recognition, puzzle-solving and deep focus that is sometimes a particular strength of autistic workers, he said.

Enabled Intelligence’s main type of work, known as data annotation, is usually farmed out to technically skilled but far cheaper labour forces in countries including China, Kenya and Malaysia. That’s not an option for US government agencies whose data is sensitive or classified, Kant said, adding that more than half his workforce of 25 are “neurodiverse”.

Old hat

For decades, workers with developmental disabilities, especially autism, have faced discrimination and disproportionately high unemployment levels. A large shortfall in cybersecurity jobs, with a new push for workplace acceptance and flexibility — partly spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic — has started to focus attention on the abilities of people who think and work differently. 

The US intelligence community has been slow to catch on to the opportunity, critics say. “In other countries it’s old hat,” said Teresa Thomas, programme leader for neurodiverse talent enablement at MITRE, which operates federally funded research & development centres. She cites well-established programmes in Denmark, Israel, the UK and Australia, where one state recently appointed a minister for autism.

Research has indicated that neurodiverse intelligence officers on the autism spectrum exhibit the ability to parse large data sets, as well as identify patterns and trends “at rates that far exceed folks who are not autistic” and were less prone to cognitive bias. Yet securing a clearance to access classified information can still present an additional challenge, according to some observers.

If an office wall board at Enabled Intelligence is any indication, experiences vary. There, 18 anonymous handwritten notes answering the question: “What does neurodiversity mean to you?”

“Difficult. Trying. It’s held me back a lot,” says one in an uncertain script. “Strength,” answers a second in careful cursive. A third, in capital letters, declares: “SUPERPOWERS”.

Bloomberg News. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com