August 2024

Reading time: 5 minutes

In our digital age of the post truth era, perception management has become a battleground for governments, intelligence agencies and private companies to compete for influence over public opinion and world views.

What was once a subtle, invisible and unknown effort to sway beliefs and behaviours has now turned into a complex and increasingly transparent operation, due to the rapid evolution in artificial intelligence and its application. 

Online spaces like social media platforms, forums, and even traditional news outlets, have become chaotic. Bots—automated software—are deployed en masse to shape opinions, promote ideologies, serve national interests and subvert foreign nations interests.

The efforts of powerful nations like the United States, Russia, China, and Israel illustrate just how entrenched and sophisticated these AI-bot powered perception management campaigns have become, and how they are struggling to maintain supremacy in a rapidly evolving digital landscape with their shadowy existence now known to (almost) all.

The Evolution of Perception Management

Perception management is a term coined by the US military for crafting and disseminating information to influence how people perceive reality. Traditionally it has been a magic wand for governments and intelligence agencies, who use a combination of propaganda, disinformation, and psychological operations commonly referred to as “psyops” to sway public opinion both domestically and abroad using traditional media.

However, with the rise of the internet and social media platforms this enhanced the tools and opportunities for these efforts, allowing anonymous messages, articles, posts, tweets and videos to reach vast audiences with unprecedented speed and precision. X, Facebook, Reddit and other social forums are key battlegrounds for management.

Initially, the campaigns must have been relatively easy to execute and their success astounding. Social media platforms were in their infancy and have for years been fertile ground for astroturfing both for private advertising agencies on behalf of companies, but also intelligence communities — creating the illusion of grassroots support—or opinion farming, where coordinated efforts would manufacture consensus on certain issues. Anonymity of the internet has made it possible for these operations to go largely undetected, untracked and running wild, with users none the wiser that their beliefs were being subtly shaped by invisible forces.

Since the birth of these practices online, it is no longer so simple. Many nations' online comment farms have been exposed and are now known to the world. Some examples are Russia’s "troll factories", China’s "secret police stations" or Israels expensive "troll army".

The AI Race

The dawn of AI dramatically changed the landscape of perception management with advanced algorithms that analyse vast amounts of data to identify the most effective ways to influence specific demographics based on simple prompts given by the person configuring the bot. Bots powered by AI can generate and distribute content at a scale and speed that human operators are unable to match.

These bots mimic human behaviour, engage in conversations, and even learn from each interaction so as to improve their effectiveness and relevance in niche social media corners.

However, the same advancements that have empowered these tools have also made them less invisible. AI bots flood online spaces, the sheer volume of their activity have made it increasingly difficult for any single entity to control narratives. The public is becoming more aware of these tactics of manipulation, leading to a growing scepticism of online content in general no matter the separation of demographic bubbles of interest the user might have. The most experienced users can now recognize when they are being targeted by bots. there is no doubt there must be diminishing returns on the effectiveness of these campaigns now compared to years ago.

The Global Players: US, Russia, China, and Israel

United States

For the United States, perception management has long been a tool of both the government and private companies. Some agencies like the CIA and NSA have been involved in shaping global narratives through covert operations, similarly private firms exist that specialise in digital marketing campaigns some would consider border on manipulation.

With AI, these efforts have intensified greatly. AI bots are definitely being used to influence elections, manipulate opinion about public figures, key issues, and to suppress certain viewpoints through gaslighting, misinformation and disinformation. There is a caveat, with revelations about foreign interference in elections and manipulation of public opinion, it has caused dissatisfaction with the public and an eroding trust in democratic institutions, media institutions and corporate companies.

Russia

Russia is one of the most aggressive users of AI for perception management. The Internet Research Agency (IRA) has been linked to numerous disinformation campaigns aimed at destabilising Western democracies. Russian bots are known for their ability to create and propagate divisive content, often targeting tense social issues like politics, race, immigration, and national identity.

With the ongoing conflict in Ukraine their propaganda efforts are often used on social media platforms like TikTok, X.com and messaging platforms like Telegram to manipulate not just Ukrainian or other foreign nationals but also their own people so as to be favourable to the war efforts. The Kremlin's use of AI bots has been so pervasive that it has become a foundational element of Russia's foreign policy strategy, a modern cold war technique known as "information warfare."

But with the ever increasing numbers of their bots, the visibility and exposure of their bots has also led to greater efforts by social media platforms and Western governments to fight off and undermine these campaigns.

China

China's approach to perception management is heavily tied to its concept of silent and "soft power." The Chinese government has invested heavily in AI to control narratives both at home and abroad.

Domestically, China uses AI to monitor and suppress dissenting opinions and views on platforms like WeChat and WeiboW, while internationally the Chinese bots are deployed to promote the country's policies favourably and counter criticisms of its tyrannical rule over its people.

One of the most notable examples of the CCP is to shape global perceptions of historical events like China's actions in Hong Kong like the Tiananmen Square and its treatment of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang. Similarly with Russia, the visibility of these efforts are growing, leading to increased awareness and scrutiny of content online in the western world.

If we also consider the ungodly amounts of cheap electronic devices from China that are sending information back to the CCP, who knows how much their bots might actually know about you. They might be using the data collected from within your own home to influence you with AI later.

Israel

Israel utilises the power of AI in perception management ruthlessly, especially in the neverending ongoing conflict with Palestine and to subvert opinions of the public in nations like the US and others that exclaim support to Israel.

The Israeli government and allied organisations use AI bots to influence global opinion on the Israel-Palestine conflict, using it to promote narratives that support Israeli policies while discrediting news events in media that are unfavourable to them and to fight opposing views.

Israel has invested heavily in cyber capabilities for years though they have also attracted significant criticism for the use of their propaganda efforts.

The Future of Perception Management

As AI evolves, strategies used in perception management will as well. The increase of sophistication with AI bots reveal that they will become harder to detect and counter, but the growing awareness of these tools also means that the average user of the internet and consumer of media content online will become more sceptical and wary.

The challenge for governments, intelligence agencies, and private companies for the future will be to adapt to this new environment of awareness, finding ways to maintain their influence in spite of it.

The cold war of AI in perception management is not just about who can deploy the most bots, but who can do so in a way that is subtle, effective, and ultimately, undetectable to manipulate and spread propaganda.

As the battle for minds plays out in the digital spaces, the stakes are higher than ever, and the outcomes more uncertain.

We are all watching the battlefield where these soldiers used to be invisible—and increasingly, AI algorithms know what to look for too, to influence us even if visible.