This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson welcome Erol Yayboke of CSIS and FilterLabs.AI for a conversation about the potential of agentic artificial intelligence to contribute to effective and even ethical offensive information operations.  They also review some of the top stories in this week's newsletter, including reporting from Rolling Stone about the Macedonian national who runs popular pro-MAGA accounts from Macedonia; a new study about social media and news consumption from the Pew Research Center; an essay in The WashingtonPost about foreign governments exploiting America's unilateral disarmament in the information-fight; and a plea by leaders of the BBC to fund their World Service like the national security asset it is.

This week, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson welcome Erol Yayboke of CSIS and FilterLabs.AI for a conversation about the potential of agentic artificial intelligence to contribute to effective and even ethical offensive information operations.&nbsp; They also review some of the top stories in this week's newsletter, including reporting from Rolling Stone about the Macedonian national who runs popular pro-MAGA accounts from Macedonia; a new study about social media and news consumption from the Pew Research Center; an essay in&nbsp;The Washington Post about foreign governments exploiting America's unilateral disarmament in the information-fight; and a plea by leaders of the BBC to fund their World Service like the national security asset it is.

From the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and the creators of the Active Measures Newsletter, a weekly dive into the latest trends in political warfare, influence, and information campaigns. 

From the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and the creators of the Active Measures Newsletter, a weekly dive into the latest trends in political warfare, influence, and information campaigns.

A weekly dive into the headlines in the Active Measures Newsletter from the Pell Center at Salve Regina University.

The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast

Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson welcome Erol Yayboke (CSIS and FilterLabs.AI) for a conversation about the potential of agentic artificial intelligence to contribute to effective offensive information operations.  They also review some of the top stories in this week's newsletter.

Agentic Offensive Information Ops with Erol Yayboke

As long as humanity has etched images into stone and told stories to others, we have honored and remembered heroes so that their names would live forever.  In this Memorial Day edition of the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson read the names of U.S. psychological operations personnel who have given the final full measure since the Korean War and honor all who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

As long as humanity has etched images into stone and told stories to others, we have honored and remembered heroes so that their names would live forever.&nbsp; In this Memorial Day edition of the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson read the names of U.S. psychological operations personnel who have given the final full measure since the Korean War and honor all who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

 Memorial Day 2026: We remember the brave psychological operations personnel who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms.

Honoring the Fallen: A Memorial Day Tribute

Anyone who has ever tried to study disinformation is well-familiar with the firehose of falsehoods—there’s just so much content on so many platforms and in so much media that it’s virtually impossible to track it all. But Martina Guzmán figured out a way to use AI to help sift through all of the audio content being generated on radio stations across the country.  The result is Verdad.app, an incredible tool for researchers and a wake-up call about the sheer volume of malinformation in circulation on any given day.  Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss reporting on possible American participation in a campaign to destabilize the government of Mexico and additional reporting on a possible Israeli campaign to influence local French elections.

Anyone who has ever tried to study disinformation is well-familiar with the firehose of falsehoods&mdash;there&rsquo;s just so much content on so many platforms and in so much media that it&rsquo;s virtually impossible to track it all. But Martina Guzm&aacute;n figured out a way to use AI to help sift through all of the audio content being generated on radio stations across the country.&nbsp; The result is Verdad.app, an incredible tool for researchers and a wake-up call about the sheer volume of malinformation in circulation on any given day.&nbsp; Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also discuss reporting on possible American participation in a campaign to destabilize the government of Mexico and additional reporting on a possible Israeli campaign to influence local French elections.

Summary  In this episode, Martina Guzmán, founder of Verdad, discusses her innovative AI tool that monitors Spanish-language radio for disinformation, revealing how foreign influence campaigns target Latin American communities in the US and impact elections. The conversation explores the mechanics of disinformation, its sources, and the importance of monitoring media to safeguard democracy.

Tracking Foreign Language Disinformation with Martina Guzmán

Over the last 18 months, the Trump administration has characterized efforts to counter disinformation as attacks on free speech, going so far as refuse visas to European fact-checkers. But the founder and chair of the Cambridge Disinformation Summit, Alan Jagolinzer, sees disinformation not simply as speech, but rather a preparatory act preceding harm—a reframing of the challenge that opens the door to a wide-range of interventions. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also talk about U.S. and Russian support to Albertan separatists and Claude’s problem with foreign disinformation.

Over the last 18 months, the Trump administration has characterized efforts to counter disinformation as attacks on free speech, going so far as refuse visas to European fact-checkers. But the founder and chair of the Cambridge Disinformation Summit, Alan Jagolinzer, sees disinformation not simply as speech, but rather a preparatory act preceding harm&mdash;a reframing of the challenge that opens the door to a wide-range of interventions. Hosts Jim Ludes and Mark Jacobson also talk about U.S. and Russian support to Albertan separatists and Claude&rsquo;s problem with foreign disinformation.

The conversation explores the complexities of disinformation, particularly its intent to harm and the implications of viewing it through a cross-disciplinary lens. The discussion highlights the intersection of speech and corruption, the role of AI in disseminating disinformation, and the specific case of Alberta separatism as a focal point for foreign influence. The speakers emphasize the need to understand how political warfare exploits existing societal fractures to amplify division and distrust.

Agentic Offensive Information Ops with Erol Yayboke

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