by disinformation | 2025-10-03 12:22:06+00:00
YouTube link goes to a podcast on disinformation and the AI tools that are being used to combat the spread of disinformation.

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While disinformation itself is ancient, from the Trojan Horse to propaganda surrounding Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution, today's digital ecosystem has fundamentally transformed its reach and impact. Technology now enables individuals to exist entirely within fabricated realities that reinforce their existing beliefs, creating unprecedented challenges for democratic discourse and progress on critical issues like climate change.

The psychological mechanics of disinformation exploit fundamental human nature. Rather than creating entirely fictional narratives, successful influence campaigns amplify existing societal tensions and biases, making contradictory evidence feel like attacks on personal identity and group belonging. This approach proves devastatingly effective because it leverages our natural cognitive tendencies.

Brinker, the subject of this podcast, addresses these challenges through a comprehensive three-pronged approach. Their collection system gathers intelligence from across the web, while automated investigation employs "narrative intelligence" to rapidly identify problematic discussions, trace their origins, and map key actors involved. Most importantly, their mitigation arsenal includes pre-legal interventions, strategic media outreach, content takedowns, and psychologically-informed counter-narratives designed to address emotional responses effectively.

Real-world applications reveal the sophistication of modern disinformation campaigns. To serve as just one example, Ravner described a collaboration with the Cyfluence Research Center (CRC) in which seemingly innocent automobile review videos were found to actually be a part of a state-sponsored operation subtly undermining Western brands while promoting foreign alternatives—a campaign that would have remained invisible without comprehensive web monitoring.

https://www.brinker.ai/post/cib-opera...

The company's customer-centric philosophy translates manual investigation methodologies into automated features, offering flexible integrations that adapt to existing client workflows. This approach reflects their understanding that effective disinformation defense, like cybersecurity, requires multiple tools rather than singular solutions. The symbolism behind Brinker's name and logo—inspired by the Dutch fable of Hans Brinker, who saved his village by plugging a dam leak with his finger—captures their core philosophy: proactive intervention can stop floods of online poison before they overwhelm communities.

Early detection proves crucial for successful mitigation, ideally intercepting campaigns during preparatory phases when malicious actors build credible personas within target communities. Advanced influence operations often involve years-long relationship-building within online groups before weaponizing these connections, as seen in conflicts from Ukraine to Romanian elections.

While Brinker primarily serves governments, NGOs, banks, and high-profile individuals, they have also provided pro-bono assistance to low-profile individuals facing online-information crises in the past, demonstrating their broader commitment to digital safety, as well as the good nature of their company.

Looking forward, Ravner expressed both concern and optimism. The primary worry centers on political weaponization of disinformation tools and human psychology's vulnerability to confirming information. However, the future of AI-powered defense appears promising, with intelligent agents poised to automate routine analysis tasks while freeing human analysts for creative problem-solving.