By Lt. Gen Anil Kapoor
The future of truth augers deliberation in this era of disruptive tech. The adage, “Whatever can be clearly defined can be precisely designed and positioned”, is the truth and the disruptive tech landscape has adequately demonstrated the same.
However, there is a sequel. One can consistently and comprehensively defy truth by misusing technology and compromising on moral values and ethics which can be detrimental and damaging, specially in crisis and surely in war. The debate on the abuse of technology and data suffers when some thinkers suggest that all is fair in love and war.
In a digital world, if data is the new oil, technology is the new oil refinery which can drive GIGO (garbage-in, garbage-out), so detrimental to cogent decision making by commanders at all levels.
This treatise is being called “FUTURE OF TRUTH IN WARFARE 4.0” – a challenge which needs to be proactively mitigated with comprehensive application of the niche technology landscape, and hence a huge opportunity.
The moot questions are:
- What is the future of truth in Warfare?
- How do we mitigate GIGO based decision making?
The future of truth is becoming increasingly complex, influenced by technological advancements, geopolitical shifts, and evolving strategies of disinformation and psychological operations.
The challenges
The new technology world order is institutionalised by Four Ds -Data, Digitization, Digitalization and Disruption, driven by semiconductor (sensors, IoT) and software (BDA, AI) and defined by automation, autonomy, precision and positioning.
These have given a new high to disruptions over a wide range of services in the past two decades both positives and negatives.
Geopolitical shifts
The new world order is dynamically evolutionary driven by sovereign National interests. That said, the rise of new powers and the reassertion of traditional ones in the digital domain will continue to influence how truth and information are manipulated in future conflicts. The strategic use of information as a tool of statecraft and warfare is likely to increase as part of broader geopolitical competition. This challenge gets hugely compounded when public opinion is kicked in. To that extent, public awareness and resilience is imperative in a globally well connected global order.
The War Zone
The war zone is five dimensional – land, air sea, space and cyber. Given the fog of war, which is a reality, the challenge of discerning the truth from false positives is important lest decision results in detrimental irreversible consequences. We may recall incidents where due to IFF anomalies, inadvertent casualties to own troops and shooting down of friendly aerial platforms has occurred.
Global connectivity, social media and ethics
The global reach of social media platforms allows for rapid dissemination of information and disinformation, making it a powerful tool in modern warfare. The ability to influence or control the narrative on these platforms can have significant strategic implications. This brings in the need to bring in international standard compliances and regulations in the light of ethical challenges.
Invisible Warfare
The world is in a perennial state of war. The concept of warfare has expanded beyond the physical battlefield to include the digital and informational realms being called invisible or even unregulated warfare. Nations and non-state actors now engage in information warfare to undermine trust in institutions, influence elections, and erode the morale of populations as much in ‘NO WAR’ state as in ‘WAR’.
The technology lens
As artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology continue to evolve, distinguishing between real and fabricated content will become increasingly difficult. This could lead to an erosion of trust in digital media, making it harder for troops in the TBA and public, in general, to discern the truth. The future of truth in an information driven world is a complex and multifaceted issue that involves technological, societal, and ethical dimensions that could shape the future.
The mitigation strategy
The future of truth in information warfare is not predetermined and will depend at the strategic levels on the actions taken by governments, technology industry, academia, researchers and startup ecosystem and at the tactical level by commanders at all levels in keeping the rank and file engaged with the fact sheet . It requires a coordinated effort across society to foster an information ecosystem where truth can prevail.
Global Cooperation
Combating information warfare effectively will require international cooperation, as misinformation and disinformation campaigns often cross national boundaries. Sharing strategies, technologies, and best practices can help in creating a unified front against these threats.
Regulation and Policy
Governments and international bodies may implement stricter regulations on data privacy-data protection, applications of AI, social media platforms and news outlets to combat misinformation and disinformation. This could include measures to ensure transparency about the sources of information and the use of fact-checking services.
Technological Solutions
The development of AI and machine learning algorithms that can automatically detect and flag false information could play a crucial role. These would need to be liberally deployed to ensure that only the single source of truth is propagated and all false positives ruthlessly attenuated. In this regard, the media ecosystem including social media must be motivated to take on a more active role in combating misinformation by adjusting their algorithms to prioritize credible sources and by providing users with tools to report and filter out false information.
Integrated theatre & tactical battle area
Managing information is key to successful military operations. Major initiatives to be undertaken by the three Services are to maintain sanctity with truth are given below:
Deployment of sensors in combination to eliminate false positives. As an example, unattended ground sensors deployed with tactical drones will ensure sanctity of info.
As the number of platforms and sensors increase to include space based assets, aerial and ground /ship based sensors, multi platform multi sensor data fusion will be a compulsion and not a choice.
A Tri-services management info system, int and operational info system and decision support system for business intelligence, augmented intelligence, artificial intelligence needs to be designed and developed. This will ensure Tri-services integration and maintaining sanctity of the single source of truth. In an overall analysis, powered by AI, this would result in a defence cloud based big data info decision support system for effective command, control, computer, communication, cybertronix, cognition and combat (C7).
More importantly quelling rumours , dis-info ruthlessly and giving the correct fact based picture to all ranks would be necessary to maintain truthful reporting and maintain high morale.
Conclusion
The future of truth in warfare is likely to be marked by increased sophistication and prevalence of disinformation and misinformation tactics, requiring concerted efforts from governments, tech companies, and civil society to uphold truth and counteract these strategies. The battle for the truth will not only be fought on the physical front but also in the minds and perceptions of the global population. Proactive strategic and tactical actions will need to be established to ensure the sanctity of truth. This may be construed as the future of truth 4.0!
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Lt. Gen Anil Kapoor, AVSM, VSM superannuated from Indian Army as Director General Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (DGEME) and Director General Information Systems (DGIS). He is an expert in Radars, Guided Missiles, MRO asset management and condition based monitoring of assets. He is now a Professor of Practice at IIT, Tirupati.
Disclaimer: The views expressed are not necessarily those of The South Asian Times
