Rand

Dr. Waltzman speaks eloquently and presents the audience with many concrete examples highlighting the importance of the disinformation threat and the need for what he calls “cognitive security” encouraging our democratic societies in the West to manage the environment, be proactive, and out-compete those who spread disinformation. In every meeting, the speaker challenges his audience, whether government representatives, journalists, academics, young political leaders, students, EU officials, as well as diplomats, to become more aware of the massive threat posed by disinformation and to think out of the box when it comes to offering solutions. This lecture provides an opportunity for vivid discussions and proves the need for more exchanges on the subject.

Biography:

Dr. Rand Waltzman is a senior information scientist at the RAND Corporation, where he recently ran a major Pentagon research program to understand the propaganda threats posed by social media technology. Waltzman previously served as chief technology officer at Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute and as the program manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Strategic Communications in Social Media unit. His areas of expertise include bot detection, influence operations, disinformation, machine learning, and digital communications.

Rand Waltzman: Computer science / Artificial Intelligence professional with a history of success in conceptualizing, developing and prototyping novel and innovative analytical and software solutions to real world problems. 35 years of experience performing and managing research in Artificial Intelligence applied to domains including social media and cognitive security in the information environment. Particular interest in massive scale data analysis in support of decision and analysis problems. Strong background in data science and the application of massive scale data analysis, automated reasoning and knowledge management techniques combined with sophisticated mathematical models to problems that have resisted conventional solution techniques. Drawn to problems that require analysis in a larger context and understanding of the broader implications of a solution.