Justin Pelletier – The Conversation

Could AI algorithms sway the public mood? Paper Trident/iStock via Getty Images

February 23, 2026

Algorithms that customize marketing to your phone could also influence your views on warfare

Justin Pelletier, Rochester Institute of Technology

AI systems are getting good at optimizing persuasion in commerce. They are also quietly becoming tools for strategic influence.

Russian disinformation, amplified by China, is raising fears that the war in Ukraine could escalate. AP Photo/Vincent Yu

March 14, 2022

Russia’s false claims about biological weapons in Ukraine demonstrate the dangers of disinformation and how hard it is to counter – 4 essential reads

Eric Smalley, The Conversation

The Russian government used disinformation to fabricate a justification for invading Ukraine. A new campaign focused on biowarfare claims threatens to escalate the conflict.

Russian forces have the capability to jam signals from satellites, affecting communications and navigation. Vitaly V. Kuzmin/Wikimedia

March 1, 2022

Intelligence, information warfare, cyber warfare, electronic warfare – what they are and how Russia is using them in Ukraine

Justin Pelletier, Rochester Institute of Technology

From jamming satellite signals to spreading disinformation, Russia’s military has sophisticated technologies it’s bringing to the battlefield in Ukraine.

Damaged radar arrays and other equipment is seen at a Ukrainian military facility outside Mariupol, Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022. AP Photo/Sergei Grits

February 24, 2022

Russia invades Ukraine – 5 essential reads from experts

Naomi Schalit, The Conversation

As war begins between Ukraine and Russia, a range of stories provides context to help readers understand the conflict.

The Department of Justice indicted six officers of Russia’s GRU military intelligence service in October 2020 on charges of hacking and deploying malware. Andrew Harnik - Pool/Getty Images

January 26, 2022

Russia could unleash disruptive cyberattacks against the US – but efforts to sow confusion and division are more likely

Justin Pelletier, Rochester Institute of Technology

Russia probably has the means to attack US electrical grids and otherwise create havoc but probably won’t go that far. Instead, watch for disinformation aimed at undermining the US and NATO.

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