AI, Information Warfare and National Security
Abstract
AI is transforming information warfare by making it faster, bigger, more personalized, and more authentic. Previous discussions of cyberwar were primarily on networks, coercion, and the boundaries of cyber action; the current AI era introduces a second layer where AI language models, synthetic media, automated accounts, recommender systems and data-driven targeting can help change the political and security landscape before the onset of conventional war. In this paper, prominent journal articles related to cyber conflict, disinformation, social bots, deepfakes, misinformation psychology, autonomous military systems, and AI-driven strategic competition are summarized. It does not suggest that AI will supplant the traditional elements of power, diplomacy, intelligence, or military readiness. Instead, it reduces the cost of deception, shortens decision time, and undermines the social underpinnings of national security: public confidence, institutional legitimacy, crisis communication, electoral confidence, and civil-military cohesion. The paper outlines a national security system that is resilient, not censorship. Fast attribution, public communication without fear of censorship, media and digital literacy, government information that is authenticated, accountability of platforms, tools for AI provenance, lawful counterintelligence, crisis hotlines, and institutional safeguards for human judgement. The core principle is that a comprehensive, national security-focused policy framework for AI-driven information warfare is best served by embedding technology policy, democratic accountability, strategic communication, cyber defense, and public trust within it.
This paper features speeches by academics and experts on a variety of subjects related to cyber conflict and national security, particularly in the light of the new technologies that are making a strong impact on the world.
