The rise of open-source AI models and AI agents is aimed at reshaping the global information landscape by shifting power from corporate giants to a more decentralized ecosystem. While AI agents are often framed as transformative innovations, at their core, they are complex, early-stage systems enabling automation, whose true impact is frequently overshadowed by marketing rhetoric, obscuring the deeper issue of trust erosion in information and institutions. AI and especially generative-AI amplifies existing challenges in authorship, authenticity, and identity, fueling societal confusion rather than offering clear solutions.

Beyond the hype, the true battleground lies in how societies adapt to this technological shift. The struggle is not just about AI development, but about digital literacy, governance, and the geopolitical implications of a fractured AI ecosystem. How will the information environment evolve in the next 3 to 5 years? Is now not the time to consider the potential consequences for future information (battle-) field and rethink current strategies? How much autonomy do humans still have in an algorithm driven world? Should nation-states regulate open-source AI to prevent information Draft program RSD 2025 04/03/2025 warfare, or does this risk stifling innovation? Who benefits most from AI-driven decentralization, - democracies or authoritarian regimes? Can trust in digital information be restored, or will AI deepen the erosion of credibility?