Exploring Artificial Intelligence at NATO STRATCOMCOE's in-house lab in Riga
NATO's AI Lab in Latvia to Bolster Strategic Communication Capabilities
The Ministry of Defence in Latvia has announced the establishment of an AI Lab, funded through the reallocation of existing national budget resources. This initiative is set to significantly enhance NATO's strategic communication capabilities against information threats.
The AI Lab, scheduled to begin construction this year and become fully operational by the end of 2026, will be a key player in the fight against disinformation and other malign information operations. With a funding of €5.54 million in 2026, expected to increase by €1.08 million, and reaching €5.66 million annually from 2027, the lab will play a crucial role in bolstering regional capacity to identify and mitigate information threats driven by increasingly sophisticated AI tools.
The NATO StratCom COE, an accredited international military organization, was initially founded by Latvia, Estonia, Italy, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Poland, and Germany in 2014. Its mission is to support and strengthen strategic communication capabilities within the Alliance. Since then, it has been joined by the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Canada, Slovakia, Denmark, the United States, Hungary, France, and Spain. The StratCom COE plays a crucial role in building awareness and strengthening allied resilience against information threats.
NATO, through initiatives like the NATO Innovation Fund, emphasizes the transformative potential of AI to strengthen alliance resilience and operational effectiveness in the information domain. Given Latvia’s geographic and strategic position near the Eastern flank of NATO, developing an AI Lab there would reinforce NATO's strategic communications and informational resilience.
The synergy between NATO’s innovation investments and Latvia’s tech ecosystem, as demonstrated by initiatives like TechHub Riga, supports the alliance’s objective to maintain an informational advantage in modern hybrid warfare contexts that heavily rely on AI-enabled influence operations.
Moreover, Latvia contributes €185,000 annually to the NATO StratCom COE. This contribution, coupled with the AI Lab's focus on the context of growing AI influence in modern information warfare, will contribute significantly to NATO’s capabilities in strategic communication.
In summary, the AI Lab in Latvia, funded by the Ministry of Defence, will contribute to NATO’s strategic communication capabilities by:
- Enhancing AI-driven detection and countermeasures against sophisticated information threats.
- Leveraging regional innovation ecosystems supported by NATO Innovation Fund investments.
- Supporting the broader NATO and EU efforts to develop trustworthy AI applications to combat disinformation in modern information warfare.
This development is crucial as AI increasingly shapes the modern information environment, enabling advanced misinformation, deepfakes, and influence operations that NATO must counter to protect its member states' security and democratic processes.
- The AI Lab in Latvia, supported by the Ministry of Defence and funded through reallocated national budget resources, will collaborate closely with the NATO StratCom COE to bolster the alliance's capabilities in the strategic use of artificial intelligence, particularly in countering disinformation and malign operations driven by AI tools.
- Given the increasing reliance on AI-enabled influence operations in modern information warfare, the AI Lab in Latvia will play a vital role in the politics of information security within NATO, supporting the development of trustworthy AI applications that protect the democratic processes and security of NATO member states.
