Panel Va was moderated by BG (Ret.) Hans DAMEN, Member of the International Consultative Board of New Strategy Center, and hosted the following panelists: Mr. Dragoș TUDORACHE, Chair, Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age (AIDA), European Parliament, General (Ret.) Philip M. BREEDLOVE, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, USA, Mr. Jean-Marc RICKLI, Head of Global and Emerging Risks, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Mr. Mykhailo SAMUS, non-resident Senior Expert, New Strategy Center and Directorof New Geopolitics Research Network, as well as Colonel (ret) Mike “Rabbi” HARASIMOWICZ, Director for Artificial Intelligence Innovations, Lockheed Martin.
In the face of the growing economic symbiosis between Russia, China, and North Korea, which has important implications for the development of disruptive technologies, the West must adopt an asymmetric approach. This approach must involve maintaining a technological edge while also preparing for the necessary mass production of key modern capabilities. Among these capabilities, we must recognize the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an analytical enabler, force multiplier, and disruptor. In terms of drone capabilities, we can observe a tendency towards enhancing the autonomy of drones and developing swarm capabilities.
Nonetheless, we are still in the infancy of understanding where these technologies are taking us. The main efforts of the most relevant industrial actors in the field are focused on creating responsible, governable, reliable, traceable, and equitable AI technologies. At the same time, from a more practical perspective, Western militaries are probably not yet ready to deploy such disruptive technologies on the battlefield at the same level Russia and Ukraine currently manage.
The 5th panel was followed by a presentation of the NUPI and New Strategy Center study on Russian Disinformation Campaigns in the NATO Space in the Context of the War in Ukraine, chaired by Mr. Sergiu MITRESCU, Coordinator of International Relations Department, New Strategy Center, in dialogue with the authors of the study: Ms. Ileana ROTARU, Senior Associate Expert, New Strategy Center and Mr. Jakub GODZIMIRSKI, Research Professor, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), Poland.
A comparative study between Romania and Norway on the cognitive and hybrid war waged by Russia, in strong connection to its war on the field, reveals different effects in the Black Sea area and the Northern side of the Eastern Flank. We may also observe how different target publics respond to disinformation across these two cases. Awareness of disinformation exists; however, some target audiences lack the necessary tools to recognize disinformation. The study inspects yet another important aspect of Russia’s information warfare: its effort to influence political processes and decisions in the target countries.