The Weaponization of Mind Control

This book follows a disturbing trail: from the roots of propaganda and “othering” to the weaponisation of mind control in the age of AI and neurotechnology.
Drawing on case studies from the Soviet Union to today’s Russia, it shows how regimes have long used fear, surveillance, and psychological manipulation to crush dissent and manufacture obedience. It then tracks how these foundations have morphed into modern cognitive warfare—operations that target how we think, feel, and decide, using social media, big data, and algorithmic profiling.
The book examines how major powers—including Russia, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Israel, and Iran—have turned AI‑enabled tools such as troll farms, micro‑targeted disinformation, deepfakes, and automated influence networks into core components of hybrid warfare. Conflicts like the Russia–Ukraine war, the Israel–Hamas confrontation, and the ongoing shadow war with Iran become laboratories for testing large‑scale manipulation of perception and belief.
It also reveals how leaked documents suggest that Western democracies are quietly experimenting with the same technologies they publicly condemn, including offensive deepfake capabilities and AI‑assisted psychological operations. Looking ahead, the book explores emerging brain–computer interfaces and neuro‑enhancement programmes that aim to link soldiers’ brains directly to weapons and command systems, raising profound questions about cognitive liberty and the militarisation of the mind.
Finally, it asks what can be done. The closing chapters set out practical strategies for resisting othering and division, and argue for robust ethical and legal constraints on AI and neurotechnology. The result is a clear, unsettling map of how our minds became a battlefield—and what must change if democratic societies are to defend both security and human dignity in the twenty‑first century.