Insights from Clue Connect Live 2023

Clue Connect Live returned to London’s Congress Centre yesterday (November 8).  

Welcoming more than 200 attendees representing 80 organisations from the UK and beyond – our landmark annual user conference was our biggest community event yet.  

Opening keynote

Our CEO, Clare Elford, welcomed attendees from a full gamut of organisations, including NGOs, corporates, policing, government and sports. These intelligence and investigations professionals are using Clue to detect, investigate and prevent threats from corruption and insider threats to fraud, animal cruelty and human trafficking.  

“We count ourselves fortunate to have such a diverse customer base. We all have a fantastic opportunity to transfer learning and innovation from one area to another,” said Clare.

Clare reminded us of the common challenges faced by investigations and intelligence teams, including rapidly evolving threats, such as deepfakes and sanctions evasion; the increasingly interconnected nature of criminal networks; and long-felt but nonetheless pressing operational challenges in resource, data sharing, and measuring success.  

As threats advance, however, so does available technology. Approached responsibly, AI has the potential to transform our approaches to investigations and intelligence; boosting productivity and enhancing insight. 

Product innovations

The opening keynote led the way for several exciting announcements from the Clue Software product team. These included upcoming innovations in automated PII redaction, new integrations, and explorations into generative AI that could allow users to navigate intelligence and retrieve case summaries in seconds.  

A spotlight was given to Watchlists. With more to be announced in the coming weeks, this forthcoming development is driven by powerful advances in our Search technology. Underpinned by Natural Language Processing technology, Watchlists will allow Clue to monitor for specific named entities and alert users when relevant new information is added to the system.

Insight from experts

Two customer spotlights gave us a glimpse into the powerful ways Clue is utilised to detect and investigate wrongdoing in real-world scenarios. 

The Land Registry revealed how it disrupts tens of millions of pounds in potential property fraud in the UK each year, thanks to its fraud prevention operations. Meanwhile, the International Tennis Integrity Agency shared how they use Clue to protect their sport from match manipulation, highlighting a recent case where betting data and intelligence played a critical role in the 5-year suspension of a corrupt player.  

In our second keynote of the day, ‘star of the bar’ Jonathan Kinnear KC shared first-hand advice from his successful career tackling some of the most serious and intricate fraud cases in the UK. Making disclosure central and indelible professionalism are vital tenets to developing solid cases, he said.  

Jonathan also joined a much-anticipated panel hosted by our Director of Intelligence and Investigations, Matt Horne, bringing together experts from The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Oxfam International. These experts shared practical tips and actionable insights on safeguarding the integrity of investigations. Topics included preparedness to react to threats, the power of data sharing frameworks, the need for airtight disclosure processes, and efforts to prevent the growing threat posed by malicious uses of AI.  

Interactive breakouts

This year, our popular interactive breakout groups explored prevention of insider threats, intelligence handling, data sharing, best practice for non-statutory investigations, and Clue product enhancements. These hands-on sessions give attendees the chance to take a break from the conference hall and to share their experiences directly with peers. Insights taken from sessions will contribute directly to our upcoming Clue Communities content and event schedule, ensuring the valuable conversations continue. 

The Clue Awards 2023

Closing with the Clue Awards 2023, celebrating the achievements of users across six categories, Clue Connect Live 2023 was a resounding success, bringing together a global community of intelligence and investigations professionals, committed to working together to protect society.

The event’s rich content and discussions showcased the power of collaboration and innovation in addressing the ever-evolving challenges and threats. We look forward to what the future holds for Clue and its community of users.

Find out more about Clue Communities and register your interest to receive updates about upcoming in-person and virtual events.