The Taxonomy
Five tiers, one red line
The proposed taxonomy sorts cognitive and information operations into five tiers, to help draw careful distinctions between legitimate influence, contested methods, and systematic psychological abuse.
The tier structure and scale bands below are proposed for the First Psychosecurity Summit. Definitions and classification rules will be published with the adopted framework.
01 · The Five Tiers
From public diplomacy to psychological decomposition
| Tier | Category |
|---|---|
| I | Public diplomacy & strategic communications |
| II | Covert influence operations |
| III | Computational amplification |
| IV | Targeted cognitive operations against individuals |
| V | Psychological decomposition operations (AI-driven Zersetzung) — the red line |
The proposed tiers give a shared vocabulary for different forms of influence and harm. Tier V marks the red line; the overview sets out the three factors that together define it. A tier label alone does not determine whether conduct is unlawful.
02 · The Graduated Scale
Proposed bands of operational acceptability
| Levels | Band |
|---|---|
| 1–3 | Routine |
| 4–6 | Contested |
| 7–10 | Prohibited |
These are proposed ethical bands. Detailed definitions, examples, and boundary cases are still being developed through the summit process.
03 · What Happens Next
Developing the framework
The taxonomy and graduated scale are two of the framework's six proposed elements. The summit will also consider escalation thresholds, attribution, industry accountability, and a declaration applying existing international law to AI-driven Zersetzung.
About the summit and the six elements →
Continue reading: resilience and support →