Is there any truth in truth serums? (2015)
Several years ago, MIT Professor of Marketing Drazen Prelec proposed a &quot;mathematical truth serum&quot; which he claimed could help government agencies predict future terrorist events.   MIT and a local defense contractor used his work to win a $12 million grant from the intelligence community.  The only justification provided for using the mathematical truth serum (a trivial application of KL-divergence) was that it would &quot;promote honesty&quot; among intelligence analysts who may hold divergent opinions.<p>Unfortunately, honesty on the part of MIT and its defense contracting partner was in short supply during the bid and proposal process.  Federal prosecutors were tipped off shortly after the program was funded, prompting the government to swiftly cancel the contract.