From Departments of War to the Basement Next Door: The AI-Disinformation Threat to Companies
The evolving threat of AI-based disinformation requires risk mitigation planning to avoid catastrophic reputational damage. As disinformation threats can materialize rapidly, companies must prepare in advance to ensure business resiliency, say Christopher Mason and Ian Oxnevad of Infortal.
A firm’s reputation is one of the most accessible points of attack for disinformation campaigns. In the age of emerging AI technology and complex algorithms, protecting your company’s reputation requires a carefully considered compliance program that accounts for emerging disinformation threats.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology defines disinformation as the “process of providing deliberately deceptive information to adversaries to mislead or confuse them regarding the security posture of the system or organization or the state of cyber preparedness.”
Originally dubbed maskirovka, early modern disinformation grew into the perfected art of “reflexive control” developed in the early days of the Soviet Union to condition the reactions of Russia’s enemies and help Moscow achieve its goals. Until recently, disinformation campaigns required journalists, faked publications and even bogus radio broadcasts.
