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Mind Fields: A History of Military PsyOps and the Coming AI War

Mind Fields: A History of Military PsyOps and the Coming AI War

By: Joshua McDonald
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Mind Fields is a narrative non-fiction podcast that explores the "Sixth Domain" of warfare: the human mind. This series traces the terrifying evolution of psychological operations (PsyOps) from the ancient world to the digital frontier.

Through historical case studies, expert analysis, and declassified documents, Mind Fields reveals how the tools of statecraft—propaganda, subversion, and influence—have been democratized, automated, and weaponized by Artificial Intelligence. It asks the critical question: In a world of deepfakes and generative AI, how do we defend the one thing we can't afford to lose—our grip on reality?

Joshua McDonald 2025 World
Episodes
  • The Human Firewall (The Defense)

    The Human Firewall (The Defense)
    Dec 10 2025

    Based on Chapter 9

    Episode Description: The war is here, but we can still win. In the season finale, Joshua McDonald lays out the roadmap for personal and societal defense. We learn about "Cognitive Immunology" (vaccinating your mind against fake news), the "Finnish Model" of media literacy, and the new "C2PA" standards for digital provenance. We discuss the retreat to "Dark Social" and why the ultimate weapon against AI is authentic human connection.

    Keywords: media literacy, psychology, mental defense, education, finland, truth, journalism, hope, future, self improvement
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    21 mins
  • The Rise of Autonomous Agents

    The Rise of Autonomous Agents
    Dec 10 2025

    Based on Chapter 8

    Episode Description: The internet is becoming a "Dark Forest" filled with non-human actors. We explore the rise of "Agentic AI"—software that doesn't just write text, but pursues goals. We discuss "Wolf Packs" of bots that swarm dissidents, the "Infinite Arguer" that never gets tired, and the bleak "Dead Internet Theory" that suggests the web is just machines talking to machines. How do we maintain a democracy when the public sphere is overrun by bots?

    Keywords: dead internet theory, bots, twitter, x, autonomous agents, ai, social media, internet culture, democracy, cyber warfare
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    10 mins
  • The Deepfake Dilemma

    The Deepfake Dilemma
    Dec 10 2025

    Based on Chapter 7

    Episode Description: Seeing is no longer believing. We analyze the viral "Pentagon Explosion" hoax that crashed the stock market and the "Biden Robo-call" that tried to suppress votes. This episode covers the "Liar's Dividend"—how politicians use the existence of deepfakes to deny real scandals—and the terrifying rise of "Virtual Kidnapping" scams that clone the voices of loved ones. We are approaching "Zero-Trust Reality."

    Keywords: deepfakes, synthetic media, MidJourney, misinformation, politics, cybersecurity, fraud, tech trends, future
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    12 mins
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