Artificial Intelligence, Computer Simulations, Media Platforms, and Social Unrest as a Recipe for Disruptive Change

Author, Dr. Patrick D. Huff, Ed.D.

Thoughts for your consideration. Hypotheses and screenplay scenario continuation…

I was attempting to relax the other night and came across The Imitation Game. I have watched the movie many times before, but this time the take-a-way was quite different when placed in the context of recently unfolding global events. What came across this time was how the discovery and adaption of pattern ciphers were ultimately used by and between governments in the context of WWII and what is occurring presently as expressed by unfolding events.

Social media and government controls have today (somewhat) successfully blurred the roles of the interrogator as the discoverer and human interactions with computers via internet software programs as observers.

We are several steps closer to computer-driven dialogues and narratives being indistinguishable from human thinking and ideologies. As a result, I would argue many of the potential strategies being implemented are not likely to make sense or be interpreted by most humans. Hence, these represent an unpacking of a wide array of entry packages to accomplish not one but a multitude of global initiatives between two or more opposing interests. The unpacking and deployment of such packages include shaping public mindsets and the eventual acceptance of loss-of-life (battlefield losses) within certain population segments. 

While researching the history of various pandemics, the current episode appears to match many of the notional (conceptual) strategies, objectives, and means of deployment and integration prescribed in the US and other foreign government warfare doctrines. These are taught as a segment of advanced training in the national war colleges as excellent weapons of mass destruction and/or inducing social change via confusion due to the inability of opposing forces to identify the origin of the attack and the associated aggressor involvement.

The screenplay could perhaps include the adaption of emerging supercomputing and machine learning as being integrated for the first time by like-minded and or opposing international governments as a means of setting the conditions necessary for determining the future direction and/or redirection of the human experiment in terms of Kardashev's Scale of advancement.

Why share these thoughts now? I am still trying to make sense of all of the events and actions (disruptive change). In the past several days, I have been informed by various sources in the research and academic communities of many governmental initiatives (foreign and domestic) that are in various stages of planning and implementation. Given this, I am reluctantly beginning to believe we are presently in a state of active hostilities between two if not three opposing ideologies presented as core and unreconcilable differences. These are driven by significant representatives (actors) of the first, second, and third world nations. This struggle is being shaped and implemented to win control over what is perceived in each of the three spheres of influence as a battle for the global populations' hearts and minds. In short, these countries are escalating the fight to guide, shape, and control a new and uniquely different world order.

Not unlike the results demonstrated in the regional conflicts waged during the 20th and 21st Centuries, the winner(s) of the present conflict will be those that deploy the most effective combination of information and persuasive messaging. In this conflict, information and messaging will essentially replace multimillion-dollar legacy and advanced (hard) weapon systems that shoot lethal rounds or projectiles. This conflict will instead be one that employs computers, intelligent software, written, visual, and video clips that are composed or delivered via global platforms.

Some end-time prophecies suggest a series of events and disasters that will occur with increasing frequency and magnitude to the point where people will be shaken with fear. These events are predicted to increase in scale until the resulting disruption leads to uncontrolled chaos and social disorder. Absent increased electronic media platforms and public attention, less disruption, passionate feelings, and associated behavior, the level of catastrophes at the global level will continue.

The level of public awareness and consequent fear implies an even greater availability of information. These conditions are facilitated by the ever-increasing development of rapid electronic (digital) communication and delivery systems, which allow them to be deployed as effective global weapons. As such, I refer to these systems as soft weapons when compared to those used in recent conflicts around the world.

The rapid increase in access and witnessing of these events are reminiscent of many biblical prophecies. These events could be viewed as a series of final indicators or warnings of prophecy fulfillment. Another central question that should be investigated is whether the soft war, once clearly lost by one or the other of these combatants is apparent, will the losers turn to total self-defeatism and global destruction in the belief that they can isolate themselves from the final conflagration. This act is one I commonly refer to as overturning the game table. 

Perhaps these systems and the predicted events are not possible prior to the full implementation of intelligent satellite media platforms, portable communication devices, and Internet improvements. As Elon Musk observes, access to a truly global digital communications network will be in place not later than 2025. Again, only in the last few years has it become possible for this prophecy to be fulfilled. As a result, it could be argued that the world's populations should be cautious as they consider and react to the events and messages being delivered. 

Respectfully submitted to my colleagues,

Dr. Patrick D. Huff, Ed.D.

Executive Director of Research Programs & Operations