Lessons from Ukraine: How AI Is Accelerating the Response to Authoritarian Information Manipulation

February 2024 marks two years since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In the midst of this crisis, the world has learned much from Ukrainians about countering authoritarian information operations. The Forum highlighted Ukrainian civil society’s resilience in a 2023 report, “Shielding Democracy: Civil Society Adaptations to Kremlin Disinformation about Ukraine.” Yet, a new and more complex threat has emerged to Ukraine’s information environment from Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered tools. Whether in Ukraine or across many other regions facing these threats, pro-democratic civil society actors have the opportunity to leverage these types of tools to level the playing field against authoritarian actors. Ksenia Iliuk, co-founder of LetsData in Ukraine, sat down with John Glenn, director of the International Forum for Democratic Studies, and Adam Fivenson, Senior Program Officer for Information Space Integrity at the Forum, to discuss the state of Russia’s information operations and the Ukrainian response with a focus on the use of artificial intelligence and cross-sectoral collaboration. For further insights on modern authoritarian influence, check out the International Forum’s companion blog, “Power 3.0 Understanding Modern Authoritarian Influence.” You can find additional resources on the Forum’s website at the National Endowment for Democracy and join the conversation with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The views expressed in this podcast represent the opinions and analysis of the participants and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for Democracy or its staff. Photo Credit: [Iliuk Nazar/Shutterstock].