Artificial Intelligence is Reshaping Military Strategies and Information Warfare
Private tech firms are transforming simulated combat and cognitive battlefields by providing essential infrastructure for military power and information control.
Private technology companies are building the digital infrastructure upon which both military operations and public perception of reality rely. As artificial intelligence technologies radically alter military doctrines, strategic planning, and information operations, they demonstrate that simulated combat and cognitive warfare processes are converging within a shared technological ecosystem.
New Global Hegemony Written in Code
Elements of power have historically followed infrastructure, with shipping lanes and oil control defining past centuries. Today, this axis has shifted toward digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence.
Actors holding information systems influence not just data, but human behavior and the ways events are interpreted.
New Private Infrastructure Providers of Military Power
A small group of private technology firms is providing critical military infrastructure previously built by states.
Companies such as Palantir, SpaceX, Microsoft, and Anduril undertake critical missions across a wide spectrum, ranging from targeting systems to orbital communications.
Command Intent and Artificial Intelligence in War Games
An exercise at the US Army Command and General Staff College tested whether large language models could support operational analyses.
It was observed that overly detailed instructions diminished AI performance, whereas clear command intent produced much more realistic assessments.
AI-Powered Information Warfare in the Israel-Iran Conflict
The Israel-Iran conflict in June 2025 laid bare the scale and effects of AI-powered information warfare.
It was determined that a significant portion of the examined false content was either generated from scratch using AI or consisted of original images taken out of context.
Implications for Military Doctrines and Middle Powers
Simulated war games and perception wars are conducted through a shared cloud infrastructure and common model providers.
Middle-income countries are building independent capacities in data governance and disinformation verification to avoid becoming entirely dependent on great power infrastructure.