In this episode, we unpack everything you need to know about information warfare, the cognitive battlespace, and how democracies can counter hostile state narratives.

Viktorija Starych-Samuolienė is joined by:

Dr Rob Johnson, Director of the Oxford Strategy, Statecraft, and Technology Centre, and former Director, Secretary of State’s Office for Net Assessment and Challenge (SONAC);

Simon Bergman, CEO of M&C Saatchi World Services and former British Army officer.

The conversation tackles the escalating geostrategic pressures across the digital domain and how adversaries like Russia, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and Iran conduct influence operations below the threshold of conventional armed conflict. We explore the spending disparities between allies and hostile states, the critical role commercial and creative industries play in modern national security, and how rapid developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are reshaping cyber resilience and data warfare. Finally, we examine how democratic societies can build cognitive resilience through better data hygiene, proactive communication strategies, and whole-of-government agility.

Information warfare: AI, subversion, and…