Almost a year later, on a sweltering day in the peak summer of 2025, I entered the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s main office at the Fort Belvoir Army Installation in northern Virginia. This marked my second visit to the intelligence organization’s headquarters, and my objective was to ascertain why Whitworth had altered his perspective, how extensively Maven had proliferated, and how the initiative’s new proponents viewed the perils and benefits of integrating artificial intelligence into military operational procedures.
By that juncture, Whitworth had become such a fervent advocate of AI that his agency was churning out machine-produced intelligence briefings for US officials that “no human hands” had touched. Moreover, the NGA had initiated a $708 million agreement for data labeling to support Maven’s computer vision models—the largest such solicitation in US history. This contract would ultimately be awarded not to self-made billionaire Alexandr Wang’s Scale AI, but to Enabled Intelligence, a startup specializing in employing individuals on the autism spectrum who are proficient in pattern recognition and at ease with repetitive tasks.
My visit necessitated the customary formalities of any meeting at an intelligence organization. These included polite security clearances and verification; a strict prohibition on phones, laptops, or smartwatches; and one particularly intriguing step: meticulously noting down not only the make and model, but also the serial number inscribed on my tape recorder. I resolved never to use this device again for any interview subsequent to this visit.
The edifice stood as a monument dedicated to geospatial intelligence, or GEOINT—the quest for perceptive insights linked to geographic coordinates on a map. An array of shimmering glass, enveloped by nearly 2,000 concrete triangles, covered the blast-resistant exterior, as though each sought to pinpoint a distinct position. More than 8,500 staff members worked at this central facility, but I was there specifically to meet four NGA officials. Each, in their own distinct manner, was profoundly engaged in Maven’s creation, benchmarks, and dissemination. I was informed that it was unheard of for them all to assemble in one room to brief a journalist on Maven, and I was keen to understand the implications for them.
“Our standing is at risk,” Whitworth conveyed to me during the discussion. Upon observing how effortless it was to incorporate the system into combat scenarios, it didn’t take him long to alter his view: “I grew to genuinely endorse it.” Far from being hesitant about ushering in a new era of AI warfare, its pioneers desired their contributions recognized. Some had become rather contentious in seeking acknowledgement, as one NGA official remarked. I pondered if NGA sought its rightful portion, aware that certain advisors to the subsequent Trump administration wished to seize command of Maven and AI away from NGA and reassign it to the Pentagon. “No single individual can take sole responsibility for this endeavor. It’s too expansive.”
The NGA officials guided me through Maven’s advancements since the agency assumed control of the majority of it two years prior. Five of eight Maven projects, including examining unmanned aerial vehicle feeds and satellite imagery, concluded under NGA’s purview. Whitworth wanted to broaden the reach and capacities of his agency, commensurate with the proliferation of omnipresent worldwide sensing devices. AI depended on information, and that necessitated extensive global monitoring to furnish it. Whereas NSA could eavesdrop on the planet, NGA possessed the ability to observe it. Whitworth stated unequivocally that he wanted to achieve this with meticulous, unceasing granularity—monitoring the whole planet, continuously. NGA had earlier provided me a display showing how AI could identify military construction in China—e.g., the establishment of a novel railway facility at a missile base. NGA monitored all activity at 49,000 airstrips worldwide. Whitworth even sought to deploy GPS, or an analogous positioning system, on the moon. And should GPS be disrupted or compromised, he wanted alternative methods to chart cosmic regions as well: NGA was crafting electronic maps utilizing magnetics, gravitational forces, space-based observation, astronomical navigation, and altitude. “From the ocean floor to the cosmos,” went the new slogan he revealed in 2023. The American military powerhouse desired complete knowledge, universal presence, and absolute power.
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