The Nextgen Information Environment
The Nextgen Information Environment

Author(s): Neville Bolt, Elina Lange-Ionatamishvili
Subject(s): Media studies, Communication studies, Security and defense, ICT Information and Communications Technologies, Hybrid Warfare
Published by: NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Information Environment; Strategic Communications; Information Warfare; Neurotechnology; Democratic Resilience;
Summary/Abstract: A dramatic transformation driven by emergent, digital technologies is taking place in the early 21st century. Machines no longer simply enable human communications: they communicate independently drawing on their own decision-making ability. And they are functioning in an information environment increasingly understood as an ecosystem of contested ideas and influences. Society is transitioning into a new historical era where seeing no longer constitutes believing. Truth and evidence fall victim to new technologies able to blur the lines between fact and fiction. Significantly, they support the ambitions of malign actors both within and beyond sovereign borders who would take advantage of this ambiguity to subvert pluralist and majoritarian democracies. What are these new technologies, what future do they promise, and how will they shape the way humans see the world? While the US and China have prioritised developing these innovations, a hesitant Europe appears caught between a number of competing tensions. Should it challenge this binary competition with a home-grown artificial intelligence stack or instead regulate in the hope of preserving its liberal democratic traditions? Or is a piece-meal approach the likeliest outcome? Europe’s technological future will impact NATO’s capabilities and global positioning.

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