Cognitive Warfare: The Battlespace of the Brain

More individuals can now access information from anywhere at any time, thus increasing human interaction, information overload and the ability to mobilize people and resources rapidly. Divisions in society and differences in opinion are natural, frequently arising from legitimate grievances that lead to positive social change. However, state and non-state actors can also capitalize on these divisions by exploiting advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging and disruptive technologies (EDTs), the collection of personal data, and the growth of social media platforms to spread disinformation to influence what individuals in our societies think, how they feel, and, ultimately, how they act. In this new world, the brain becomes the target and the weapon. Outside actors no longer need to cross national boundaries to sow disunity and undermine legitimate societal and government institutions; it can be done through everyday people by using weaponized information to change the way individuals view reality, their peers, the world, and themselves.

The core of the talk will highlight what societal resilience looks like in this space and why we need to do a better job of understanding and respecting cultural, racial, gender, and religious diversity within our populations if we expect to combat this form of warfare. The answer is not to pretend that our individual differences are inconsequential; rather, we must listen to the marginalized parts of our societies. The talk will also touch upon the importance of understanding emotions and how the human brain processes information to better understand why cognitive warfare is so effective. It is not enough to train people to recognize disinformation through standard information and media literacy. Individuals in our societies must understand the system within which disinformation exists: who the information is for, what emotion it is designed to create, and what is the intended impact?

The Psychology of Influence

To comprehensively grasp the power of targeted cognition, something state and non-state actors use against their adversaries, we should accept that much of the power of influence lies in manipulating the emotional, cultural and existential complexities, inconsistencies and peculiarities characterizing human behaviour. As a result, it can alter individual and group attitudes.

Often discussed in terms of human factors, which include the combination of language and social, cultural, psychological and physical characteristics shaping the contradictions, attitudes and behaviour of individuals and groups, these complexities are universal to the human experience. They include socially rooted dynamics connected to family, social status, gender roles, religious beliefs, and perceptions of our power relative to others.

As such, this talk will explore how to effectively identify and interfere with the effects of disinformation and malign influence by providing an in-depth knowledge of the principles governing cognition, emotion and behaviour and their links to social and cultural dynamics and the spread of narratives.

Building Societal Resilience to "Fake News": What Does Information and Media Literacy Mean?

Information and media literacy training is often proposed as the answer to the influx of disinformation and "fake news" we are inundated with daily. We often highlight its importance when talking about building societal resilience to information manipulation. However, what does information and media literacy even mean, and who is responsible for educating the general public?

This talk will break down what is needed to build stronger societies capable of recognizing and withstanding weaponized information. It will talk about what the importance of recognizing and understanding historical narratives, the role of identity and belonging, and ensuring marginalized groups have a societal voice. It will also highlight the importance of systems thinking to ensure individuals are capable of going beyond simply differentiating between opinion, disinformation, truth and fact.

Understanding the Information Environment in Africa: Why the West Continues to Make Mistakes

Ms. Krewson spent 10 years living in and managing development projects throughout Africa, a part of the world that is currently experiencing an influx of influence from global powers including the U.S., Russia, and China. The challenge, however, is that there continues to be a poor understanding of indigenous governance structures throughout Africa and how information is transmitted amongst local populations. Westerners often assume that the information environment throughout Africa mirrors that of the Global North; however, this is not accurate.

This talk will look at the influence of Western colonialism on how many nations in Africa view current interference from the world's superpowers. It will also delve into how information is spread in rural areas and discuss the importance of understanding indigenous populations.

The Online Weaponization of Gender: How Sex is Used to Breakdown Societies

Gender is one of the main topics used to create fissures in society. When looking at trends in things such as violent terrorism, gender is frequently exploited to recruit followers. This talk will go into why we need to do a better job of understanding how gender functions in different societies to understand how it is being weaponized to create division.