The Automated Manipulation of Vulnerable Democracies
Case Study: Bulgaria's Kremlin-backed "Pravda" Network (December 2024 - April 2025)
Source: CIDC-Sensika Disinformation Observatory | Jacob & Angelov (2025)
AIRC represents the convergence of Soviet-era psychological warfare with modern AI capabilities, creating unprecedented threats to democratic institutions through systematic manipulation of information environments.
Manual psychological manipulation to influence decision-making while maintaining illusion of choice
Automated, scalable, and adaptive manipulation at population level with real-time optimization
Creates changes in the informational environment that trigger cascading psychological responses, where targets believe they are making independent choices while being systematically manipulated
Perfect Storm: Bulgaria's unique vulnerability profile makes it an ideal laboratory for testing next-generation information warfare techniques.