Since the Second World War, intelligence and security services have played an important role in policy and decision making, particularly with regards to a state’s national security. In this minor programme we study both the organisations, their working methods, their analysis techniques, as well as…

Our main goal is to improve understanding of how intelligence and security services operate, how they are embedded in broader political, bureaucratic, and societal contexts, and how their methodologies can be complemented.

The complexity of an intelligence problem determines to a great extent the certainty that can be provided by intelligence and security services.

Hybrid Intelligence (HI) is the combination of human and machine intelligence, expanding human intellect instead of replacing it. HI takes human expertise and intentionality into account when making meaningful decisions and perform appropriate actions, together with ethical, legal and societal values.…

The master’s specialisation Artificial Intelligence offers future-oriented topics in computer science with a focus on machine learning, optimization algorithms, and decision support techniques.

The minor Artificial Intelligence & Business (previous name Science, Business, and Innovation) will provide you with knowledge and skills on the intersection of the fields of artificial intelligence, management, and entrepreneurship, with a focus on programming, technology management, entrepreneurial…

The Creative Intelligence Lab is an interdisciplinary place which connects researchers with different backgrounds across the cognitive and computer sciences.

The Creative Intelligence Lab (CIL) is an interdisciplinary research lab that connects researchers with different backgrounds across the cognitive and computer sciences. It is affiliated to the Media Technology MSc program. Researchers and students from the Media Technology group play a large role in…

The development of smart cars, video games that adapt to your gaming behavior, law enforcement assigning your neighborhood a risk score, insurance rates determined by your behavior, finding your perfect match via an app: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly and radically transforming our interactions…

Computers are capable of making incredibly accurate predictions on the basis of machine learning. In other words, these computers can learn without intervention once they have been pre-programmed by humans. At LIACS, we explore and push the borders of what a revolutionary new generation of algorithms…

De minor Data Science & Artificial Intelligence geeft een toegankelijke introductie tot de theorie en praktijk van datawetenschap en kunstmatige intelligentie. Studenten leren de basis van data-analyse en patroonherkenning in grote gegevensverzamelingen, hoe computers leren en ook het interpreteren…

SAILS aims to forge links between the different disciplines at the University and to initiate new academic partnerships.

This article explores an emerging “cultural turn” in intelligence studies, which, if fully realized, could entail the expansion of the discipline to include new methodologies and theories, and a more integrative understanding of historical causality that locates intelligence agencies within the widersocio-cultural…

Artificial Intelligence and Ethics at the Police

Artificial intelligence algorithms govern in subtle, yet fundamental ways, the way we live and are transforming our societies. The promise of efficient, low‐cost or ‘neutral’ solutions harnessing the potential of big data has led public bodies to adopt algorithmic systems in the provision of public…

In this article, Thomas Maguire, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, examines why states use intelligence to influence external audiences.

Can dynamic testing provide us with insight in children’s potential for learning?

In the track Intelligence and National Security you will be introduced to intelligence and security services in their political, societal, and bureaucratic contexts. The track will give you a thorough understanding of the modus operandi of these agencies, their interaction with the surrounding world,…

GLOBALINT is a pioneering study of intelligence in the Global South. It asks ‘how do (un)democratic shifts in political governance impact intelligence services in contexts of violent conflict?

Can we develop a platform for raw materials intelligence?

This edited volume explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming international conflict in cyberspace.

The Latin American Security and Intelligence Network (LASIN) brings together scholars, practitioners, government agencies and the diplomatic community to develop novel and interdisciplinary approaches to addressing key areas of security and intelligence in Latin America.

The focus of the Bachelor Data Science & Artificial Intelligence is on computer science, and its applications in Artificial Intelligence. You will receive a strong basis in mathematics, statistics and computer science, combined with advanced knowledge of machine learning, cognitive science, human-robot…

Cyber agent technology and intelligence agencies is a project that is commissioned by Tracks Inspector, a Dutch company that develops innovative software.

Access to information is a human right (United Nations, 1948). Information technology, such as search engines and recommender systems, has become the key mediator and facilitator to connect people to information (White, 2016). Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) technology is increasingly being…

Case-studies on use-wear analysis of prehistoric flint tools

We are delighted to announce that the Digital Humanities and Artificial Intelligence minor will be offered in the 2024-2025 academic year with options of 15 EC or 30 EC packages.

This thesis mainly focuses on cross-modal retrieval and single-modal image retrieval via deep learning methods, i.e. by using deep convolutional neural networks.

This study examines the mutual intelligibility between all 225 pairs of 15 Chinese dialects, in two main branches, i.e., six Mandarin dialects and nine non-Mandarin (Southern) dialects.

How and to what extent does AI affect citizen representation in public service delivery and state-citizen interactions?

Together with Pepijn Tuinier and Thijs Brocades Zaalberg, Sebastiaan Rietjens researched the role of trust in an international intelligence cooperation.

Why, then, do governments choose to disclose intelligence and what factors shape how they do so?

This paper examines cyber intelligence in the context of national and international security.

Ilina Georgieva published an article in the journal Contemporary Security Policy on the norm-setting role of intelligence agencies.

Are you thinking about studying Crisis and Security Management: Intelligence and National Security? Learn more and watch the videos.

Study information

LIACS is a partner in the EU Erasmus+ Curriculum Development for the Asian education system. The knowledge available in the field of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence education will be shared and adapted for the Asian market.

Machine learning - on classical computers- has made great progress in the past five years. Computer translation of speech and text is just one example. In Leiden, some researchers expect that machine learning, empowered by quantum systems, even if they only contain a few dozen qubits, can lead to a…

Who are open-source intelligence activists and how reliable are their contributions to public understanding of Russia’s war in Ukraine?

This book is the first comparative study of estimative intelligence and strategic surprise in a European context, complementing and testing insights from previous studies centred on the United States. It does extensive empirical analysis of open-source material and interviews in relation to three cases…

The presents thesis investigates the extent to which Chinese, Dutch and American speakers of English are mutually intelligible. Intelligibility of vowels, simplex consonants and consonant clusters was tested in meaningless sound sequences, as well as in words in meaningless and meaningful short sent…

This dissertation aims at discussing the nature and the linguistic factors assumed responsible for speech intelligibility problems of Sudanese learners of English.

In deep reinforcement learning, searching and learning techniques are two important components. They can be used independently and in combination to deal with different problems in AI, and have achieved impressive results in game playing and robotics. These results have inspired research into artificial…

From deepfakes and disinformation to killer robots, surgical robots and AI lawmaking: AI (Artificial Intelligence) is changing our world. That raises the question whether this requires some form of regulation. At eLaw, the Center for Law and Digital Technologies at Leiden University, prof. Bart Custers…

The Hague Program for Cyber Norms, a research program at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, published its first policy brief, in which Dennis Broeders, Sergei Boeke and Ilina Georgieva explore the role of intelligence agencies in cyberspace and the (im)possibilities of oversight and regulation…

In this article, Thomas Maguire, assistant professor at the Institute of Governance and Global Affairs, examines the intelligence of the US, British and Ukrainian governments and NATO partners concerning Russia and its war against Ukraine. This article discusses how and why governments communicate intelligence…

In a longitudinal study, Eichengreen and colleagues explored how the certain aspects of emotional intelligence impact the development of adolescents’ mental health, thus identifying potential warning signs and targets for intervention programs. Despite a higher risk for mental health issues and lesser…

Promotor: A.P.IJzerman Co-promotor: A. Bender