Statecraft to Stagecraft: The Use of AI in Cognitive Warfare

War with Iran marks the first truly AI-native information environment in warfare where the human brain is both the target and the weapon, and the battlefield is your phone.In this episode, producer and host Heather Bakken is joined by two experts in the field of cognitive and gray zone warfare.Jennifer Irish is a principal at Pendulum Geopolitical Advisory Group and leader of the Information Integrity Practice. She's also a former Canadian diplomat and security executive.Elizabeth Anderson is a former senior advisor to Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs and a fellow at the Montreal Institute for Global Security. Her research specializes in cognitive warfare and democratic resilience.The 2026 threat environment has our adversaries working at machine speed against our human-paced institutions.From deep fakes to cheap fakes and video cartoons, AI is industrializing information manipulation at warp speed. Identity can be cloned, platforms can be mimicked and content can be mass-produced.Have we crossed a threshold where we cannot guarantee what truth is anymore?Tune in to find out.With special thanks to our audio engineer, "The Guy", Paul MacInnis.