Defence force chief Angus Campbell warns deepfakes and AI will drive era of ‘truth decay’

The defence force chief has warned the world is entering an era of “truth decay” where misinformation will undermine democracy and leave liberal, Western societies like Australia increasingly exposed to enemies.

General Angus Campbell has outlined future challenges where rapidly advancing technology could soon make it impossible for most people to distinguish fact from fiction.

In an overnight speech, the defence chief has predicted artificial intelligence and deepfakes will further damage public confidence in elected officials and pose a serious risk.

“As these technologies quickly mature, there may soon come a time when it is impossible for the average person to distinguish fact from fiction, and although a tech counter response can be anticipated, the first impression is often the most powerful,” he told the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

“This tech future may accelerate truth decay, greatly challenging the quality of what we call public ‘common sense’, seriously damaging public confidence in elected officials, and undermining the trust that binds us.”

General Campbell cited a “deep fake” video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which emerged last year falsely portraying the wartime leader urging his military to surrender to invading Russian forces.

“Uncertainty erodes our traditional understanding of deterrence by undermining our calculus of capability, our assurance of credibility, and our clarity of communication,” General Campbell declared.

“Uncertainty is the bedfellow of timidity, the perfect foundation from which others may win without fighting,” he added.

General Campbell nominated China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as an expert proponent of psychological, legal and information warfare techniques that could disrupt democratic societies and undermine their will to fight.

“While these operations are, of course, not new phenomena, informatic disruption is exponentially, instantaneously and globally enhancing the prevalence and effectiveness of a three-warfares approach by any reasonably sophisticated practitioner,” he said.

“Such an approach may bypass the need for a physical attack and strike directly at the psychological, changing perceptions of reality, with profound implications for deterrence”.

Campbell warns of climate change consequences

During his address, General Campbell also warned of future crises involving food and water security, as well as waves of migration due to climate change.

“This disruption is happening faster and less predictably than we all hoped,” General Campbell told his Canberra audience.

“Without the global momentum needed, we may all be humbled by a planet made angry by our collective neglect.”