The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast

This week on the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson speak with Georgetown University's Renée DiResta about trends in technology, social media, and disinformation.  They also discuss some of the reporting in this week's newsletter, including the U.S. Army General using ChatGPT to make military decisions, Russia's continued use of information laundering, the tendency of some victims of malinformation to wear it like a badge of honor, and news that Facebook continues to monetize sanctioned Russian entities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson welcome Erol Yayboke of CSIS and FilterLabs.AI for a conversation about the potential of agentic artificial intelligence to contribute to effective and even ethical offensive information operations.  They also review some of the top stories in this week's newsletter, including reporting from Rolling Stone about the Macedonian national who runs popular pro-MAGA accounts from Macedonia; a new study about social media and news consumption from the Pew Research Center; an essay in The Washington Post about foreign governments exploiting America's unilateral disarmament in the information-fight; and a plea by leaders of the BBC to fund their World Service like the national security asset it is.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stephen Clermont, Head of Polling at Change Research and author of the 'Beyond the Fringe' report, dives into America's fascination with conspiracy theories rooted in institutional distrust. He reveals how paranoid narratives spread and profile who typically believes them. The conversation also touches on the historical context of American skepticism and the alarming role of technology in amplifying misinformation. Clermont suggests that enhancing transparency and civic literacy could counteract these harmful beliefs. A thought-provoking exploration!

One of the foundational concepts of political warfare--whoever is waging it--is to exploit existing issues.  In this special edition of the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, host Jim Ludes shares episodes from the Cold War and America's long struggle with racism to see how adversaries use original sins against their targets.  The full podcast will return next week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the impact to American soft-power of late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel's suspension by ABC after Trump administration threats; the continued exploitation of Charlie Kirk's murder by hostile foreign powers; and the activities in Ukraine of an American neo-Nazi group with apparent Russian ties.  Then, they welcome Liam Karr, Africa Team Lead for the Critical Threats Project at AEI, for an in depth discussion of his recent work tracking Russian influence campaigns and military activities in sub-Saharan Africa.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest Charlie Edwards, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, tells hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson that Russia is engaged in the most sustained campaign of sabotage targeting Europe since the Second World War--and he's brought the receipts.  Aimed primarily at undermining Western confidence in governments and, thus, support for Ukraine's defense, Russian sabotage is taking a toll across Europe.  The hosts also discuss foreign exploitation of political violence in the United States and Russia's targeting of Moldova's upcoming parliamentary elections.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson review reports of a U.S. influence campaign targeting the residents of Greenland; Texas stands up an effort to counter-Chinese influence; the Trump administration embraces the Department of War; while the prevalence of disinformation in AI chatbots grows.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson welcome RAND's Jonathan Welch for a discussion of DOD requirements to get the most out of generative AI for U.S. influence operations.  Also, fallout from the Trump-Putin meeting comes in many forms: from waltzing polar bears to Putin whispering about election fraud all while Russian malign influence campaigns targeting the west continue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss China's use of Artificial Intelligence to create a so-called "propaganda engine," leveraging AI to monitor content and respond with narratives designed to either diminish or amplify messages.  They then turn to reporting on the soft power of international assistance and the binding power of international trade--two things the United States did tremendously well, until recently.  Finally, they return to the use of generative AI to produce inauthentic videos.With this episode, the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast shifts production so that when new episodes are produced, they are released alongside that week's newsletter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson discuss the use of mis- and disinformation in the recent clash between India and Pakistan with Sid Venkataramakrishnan of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. They also highlight recent RAND recommendations to the Department of Defense on the use of generative AI in influence operations; social media platforms cracking down on accounts spreading disinformation; and President Trump's dismissal of the director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics and what that means for the integrity of U.S. government data.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.