A common myth is that the models produced by data mining algorithms will replace human analysts and decision makers. However, the last two decades of work with artificial intelligence systems — including data mining systems — have shown that these systems are usually best deployed to handle mundane tasks, thus freeing the analyst to focus on more difficult tasks that actually require his or her expertise. This is certainly the case with current commercial tools for data mining — they are power tools for analysts, not replacements for them. The NRC report quoted here echoes these ideas with specific reference to counter-terrorism applications.