This article is the edited transcript of a conversation held between Michael Goodman, David Omand and John Taylor. It brings together an academic view with those of two collectors of intelligence. The focus is on spying and how it has changed from the Cold War era when Omand and Taylor joined Her Majesty's Government, to the modern, digital and connected nature of the 21st century. It highlights five areas of continuity and change: that the future is both different and not dissimilar to the past; the importance of community and jointery within government; that intelligence today is as much about offensive operations as it is defensive ones; that technology should not be feared but embraced; and, finally, that however important and prevalent technology might become in the future, we would be foolhardy to ignore and neglect the valuable role played by people.
Michael K. Goodman (Sat,) studied this question.