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How are modern technologies manipulating the human mind? The Hack the Mind ideathon seeks the answer

We are opening the ideathon together with NATO ACT and the DefSec Innovation Hub. Those interested in participating can register until 10 October 2020

02.10.2020
How are modern technologies manipulating the human mind? The Hack the Mind ideathon seeks the answer Source: Hack the mind

Cognitive warfare. A term for the uncharted area of the human mind that is unknowingly controlled by modern technology. This involves silent manipulation, the threat of cyberattacks and destabilisation of society. A new battlefield of the modern age that is only beginning to be defined.

How can the term “cognitive warfare” be defined and understood?
Which fields of science does it concern?
And how can we protect ourselves against it?

Together with the DefSec Innovation Hub, we are opening an ideathon called Cognitive Warfare: Hack the Mind. Hack the Brain. Help Us Understand. The objective of the project is to raise awareness of cognitive warfare and to open a debate in professional circles, while also seeking out trends and ideas, as well as potential solutions that are built on a professional basis across individual areas of society.

Registration is open to everyone who is interested in the topic of cognitive warfare and wants to share their thoughts and experience. A condition of participation is that the potential participants must send an essay or video in English on topics that are defined on the Hack the Mind website by 10 October 2020.

The announcement of the winning projects is planned for the end of October. The projects will be assessed by an expert committee, which will be composed of, for example, Vojtěch Petráček, rector of the Czech Technical University; Klára Boučková, head of the Department of Development of Cybernetic Forces and Information Operations at the Ministry of Defence; and Kristina Soukupová, head of the DefSec Innovation Hub.

The ideathon offers those who are interested an opportunity to establish important contacts with leading experts in the defence and security industry. The successful contributions will be used by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in its strategic documents and will be communicated to all thirty member countries.

The partners of the event are the NATO ACT Innovation Hub, Military Technical Institute, Czech Technical University, The Global Exec. and the Canadian Defence and Security Network.

Why CzechInvest?

CzechInvest reflects the direction of the Czech Republic and its emphasis on research, development and innovation, foreign practice and the latest trends. In this respect, the defence and security industry is an important part of the domestic economy, while its knowledge and end products often find uses in other segments across society. The mutual transfer of know-how and applications is also emphasised in the Innovation Strategy of the Czech Republic 2019-2030, which perceives the connection of investments in defence with support for Czech industry as one of the pillars of smart investments.

The expansion of CzechInvest’s specialisation makes it possible to strengthen the agency’s long-term activities in the field of aerospace, which is often very closely connected with the defence industry within companies’ activities.

Establishing cooperation with a respected partner such as the DefSec Innovation Hub thus enables CzechInvest to expand the portfolio of activities by means of which it will contribute to the development of the Czech Republic’s innovation environment and overall support for domestic entities. Today, the defence and security industry plays an irreplaceable role in every country and this segment can no longer be related solely to military contracts and viewed through the narrow lens of firearms and heavy equipment. Overlaps in areas such as cybersecurity, the use of unmanned aircraft and artificial-intelligence applications are an everyday matter.

More information and a link to the ideathon registration page can be found on the Hack the Mind website.

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