Information warfare is nothing new. What is new is the addition of social media and artificial intelligence (AI) making it possible to spread dis- and misinformation faster than ever, necessitating a rapid response to help maintain parity in the information battlespace.
Look no further than the Iran conflict, which has spawned a network of AI-generated videos claiming to be US servicemen and women. The University of Southern California’s Information Sciences Institute identified a network of more than 100 TikTok accounts impersonating US personnel, with more than 3 million views and 440,000 engagements on videos ranging from “soldiers” claiming to be distressed to asking for support for their mission.
There are numerous other forms of modern-day information warfare as well, from mocking and taunting such as Iran’s videos of US administration officials as Lego figures to propaganda in the Ukraine conflict. Being able to respond to a varied range of what has effectively become meme warfare necessitates quickly identifying target audiences, formulating the right message and determining the best way to get it in front of people, explained Bobby Muscara, associate director for Europe at Two Six Technologies, who is in the trenches with the company’s partners that depend on cutting-edge technologies to complete their missions.
