Frank Bradley, the commander of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM), issued a warning that artificial intelligence, which has granted the military an unprecedented advantage in the speed of decision-making, is simultaneously undermining the very foundation of trust in information. In his words, the modern information environment has become a key battlefield, where the struggle is fought not only over data collection but also over verifying its authenticity. "Any digital trace can be faked," US counterintelligence officials noted, adding that generative AI has made disinformation scalable and virtually indistinguishable from real data.
From analytics to speed: how AI is changing special operations tactics
Bradley emphasized that the use of artificial intelligence allows thousands of data sources to be merged into a single operational picture in real time, updated literally every minute. Automated analytics provides operators with an informational advantage that directly translates into the speed of action on the battlefield. As a successful case, he cited the April operation to rescue the pilot of a downed F-15 fighter jet along the front line. The mission was made possible by the precise synchronization of intelligence data, cyber support, and AI analytical models, which processed the flow of information faster than would have been possible with purely manual analysis.
Deepfakes and synthetic identities: a new reality for headquarters
The flip side of this technological leap is that malicious actors, hostile states, and dictatorial regimes have gained tools for mass manipulation of public consciousness. Admiral Bradley noted that even his own headquarters had encountered pranks created with the help of AI. Modern generative tools are capable of producing synthetic voices, cloned faces, and entirely fake identities that can deceive even trained professionals. This means that a commander on the front line cannot be certain of the authenticity of a received video or audio message without additional verification.
The geography of the threat: from Moscow to Ouagadougou
In Bradley's assessment, Russia and China are actively using AI for disinformation campaigns and for controlling their populations. However, the threat is not limited to major powers: even small dictatorships, in particular the regime of Ibrahim Traoré in Burkina Faso, are employing generative tools to suppress opposition and manipulate public opinion. US counterintelligence officials stress that the scaling of disinformation through AI forces doubt on every data source, undermining the very foundation of the intelligence process.
Internal weakening: what is happening in monitoring structures
According to former U.S. State Department officials, the situation is further complicated by reduced transparency in content moderation on major media platforms and by shifting domestic political priorities in Washington. This has already led to the weakening of specialized structures for monitoring foreign influence, in particular within the FBI and USAID. Thus, the United States faces a dual challenge: the external threat from hostile AI systems is intensifying against the backdrop of shrinking internal resources for countering disinformation.
The key challenge of the future: autonomous hostile AI agents
Currently, Bradley emphasized, the key challenge for the U.S. Department of Defense is ensuring the protection of its own databases and intelligence systems from future attacks by autonomous hostile AI agents. In his words, such systems are capable of covertly altering information from within, leaving no obvious traces of interference. This turns the protection of data infrastructure from a perimeter security task into a task of continuous monitoring and verification at the level of each individual piece of information.
