Josh Baughman

2 weeks ago | defenseone.com | Josh Baughman |Peter W. Singer

Earlier this month, more than 12,000 runners raced through the streets of Beijing in a half marathon—accompanied by more than 20 humanoid robots. While the prize money for the first robot to cross the finish line was a paltry CNY5,000 ($691), the competition is emblematic of a larger race just beginning in technology and even warfare.

Oct 17, 2023 | defenseone.com | Josh Baughman |Peter W. Singer

The phrase “cognitive warfare” doesn’t often appear in news stories, but it’s the crucial concept behind China’s latest efforts to use social media to target its foes. Recent stories have ranged from Meta’s “Biggest Single Takedown” of thousands of false-front accounts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and Substack to an effort to spread disinformation about the Hawaii fires to a campaign that used AI-generated images to amplify divisive U.S. political topics.