3 Oct 2025
Combating Disinformation - Narrative Intelligence in Action
On this call, we introduce Brinker.ai, a global company with offices in San Francisco.
To learn more about Brinker.ai, please visit their website here:
https://www.brinker.ai/
More from Brinker:
https://youtu.be/PsjNJfnFdj8?si=gzLmngsURaAsM4Cmhttps://youtu.be/NY5XNfy-dJU?si=F62GUGWvrcpp6Ad-More from the
Podcast:
https://www.reddit.com/r/DisinformationTech/Zary
About Daniel Ravner:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Ravner
Manning's discussion with Daniel Ravner explored the evolving landscape of disinformation and the innovative approaches being developed to combat it. Ravner drew a crucial distinction between disinformation—intentional, malicious deception designed to manipulate perception—and misinformation, which involves unknowingly sharing false information.
While disinformation itself is ancient, from the Trojan Horse to propaganda surrounding Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution, today's digital ecosystem has fundamentally transformed its reach and impact. Technology now enables individuals to exist entirely within fabricated realities that reinforce their existing beliefs, creating unprecedented challenges for democratic discourse and progress on critical issues like climate change.
The psychological mechanics of disinformation exploit fundamental human nature. Rather than creating entirely fictional narratives, successful influence campaigns amplify existing societal tensions and biases, making contradictory evidence feel like attacks on personal identity and group belonging. This approach proves devastatingly effective because it leverages our natural cognitive tendencies.
Brinker, the subject of this podcast, addresses these challenges through a comprehensive three-pronged approach. Their collection system gathers intelligence from across the web, while automated investigation employs "narrative intelligence" to rapidly identify problematic discussions, trace their origins, and map key actors involved. Most importantly, their mitigation arsenal includes pre-legal interventions, strategic media outreach, content takedowns, and psychologically-informed counter-narratives designed to address emotional responses effectively.
Real-world applications reveal the sophistication of modern disinformation campaigns. To serve as just one example, Ravner described a collaboration with the Cyfluence Research Center (CRC) in which seemingly innocent automobile review videos were found to actually be a part of a state-sponsored operation subtly undermining Western brands while promoting foreign alternatives—a campaign that would have remained invisible without comprehensive web monitoring.
https://www.brinker.ai/post/cib-operation-targeting-western-automotive-brands
The company's customer-centric philosophy translates manual investigation methodologies into automated features, offering flexible integrations that adapt to existing client workflows. This approach reflects their understanding that effective disinformation defense, like cybersecurity, requires multiple tools rather than singular solutions.
The symbolism behind Brinker's name and logo—inspired by the Dutch fable of Hans Brinker, who saved his village by plugging a dam leak with his finger—captures their core philosophy: proactive intervention can stop floods of online poison before they overwhelm communities.
