The drone revolution is accompanied by an information warfare revolution equally transformative. AI-generated content, deepfakes, and coordinated social media campaigns shape conflict outcomes. Iran’s 2022–2023 protests demonstrated both power and vulnerability of information warfare: authorities imposed blackouts; protesters used VPNs and encrypted messaging.
Modern AI enables manipulation at unprecedented scale. Large language models generate fake articles, social media posts, and video in multiple languages at near-zero cost. The same AI systems developed for military targeting manipulate discourse about whether and how weapons are used. Defense requires population-level media literacy, institutional safeguards, and platforms prioritizing accuracy—none existing at required scale. Information warfare has become as consequential as kinetic warfare.