Japanese Defense Ministry researching AI-based psyops
Update
The MoD has, unconvincingly, denied the below report. See my post here.
Original
This post isn’t directly related to Covid, but since the English-language press hasn’t reported this story, I thought it might interest you, my dear readers.
According to interviews with several government officials on 9th December, the Ministry of Defense has begun research on using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to guide domestic public opinion on social network sites (SNS). The goal is to create trends on the Internet by inducing popular SNS influencers to unwittingly spread information favourable to the ministry, broaden support for defense policies, foster hostility towards specific countries during times of crisis, and dispel citizens’ tendencies towards anti-war sentiment and war weariness.
All worthy aims, I’m sure you’ll agree. The below infographic shows the idea is to gather Big Data to determine suitable influencers, release information their way to get them to spread it, and have intended trends spread explosively on SNS.
So what prompted the MoD’s foray into next-generation psyops?
China, Russia, and others are already engaging in information warfare. The MoD has decided that Japan also needs capabilities in this area. Measures to better deal with information warfare will be included in Japan’s three revised security documents.
No doubt if it weren’t for the Rascally Russians and the Cheeky Chicoms, the Japanese MoD would never dream of manipulating SNS influencers into unwittingly ginning up jingoism.
Of course, Covid has shown that military psyop assets can have duel-use civilian applications too.
That’ll be the British Army’s 77th Brigade, aka “The Mutton Crew”. I suppose one benefit of manipulating famous SNS influencers to propagandise for free may be that members of the Mutton Crew will hopefully become members of the dole queue.
The MoD’s research into AI-based psyops comes alongside the government’s decision to increase the defense budget from 1% to 2% of GDP and to acquire long-range stand-off missiles, euphemistically called “counter-strike capability” to get around the constitution’s war-renouncing Article 9. One commonality with Japan’s Covid response is that US companies will again get to make a killing.
It’s probably worth mentioning that the Japanese Self-Defense Forces have been highly involved in the injection campaign too.
After all, it’s the responsibility of the military to deliver deadly shots.
This post may not be directly related to this pandemic, but I’m pretty sure it will be to the next one.
"UK expenditure on defence as a percentage of national GDP in 2021. The UK has met NATO 's 2% target every year since its introduction in 2006". "The UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has said military spending will double from its current level to hit £100bn in 2030."
Worse than you thunk.
On the other hand, UK's Beloved Leaders don't just rely on the Military to boost their obsessions.
Wikipedia states "Susan Fiona Dorinthea Michie FBPsS FAcSS FMedSci FBA (born 19 June 1955) is a British academic, clinical psychologist, and professor of health psychology, director of The Centre for Behaviour Change and head of The Health Psychology Research Group, all at University College London. She is also an advisor to the British Government via the SAGE advisory group on matters concerning behavioural compliance with government regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, she was appointed Chair of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health.
She is also a long term (40 years+ ?) Member and Executive Committee Member of the Communist Party of Britain (formerly Communist Party of Great Britain).
So that's all absolutely fine, then.