Gamification in International Relations Lab - GIRI-hub Lab

2024-2026 projet: "LusoGlobe: Artificial Intelligence, Simulations, and Wargaming for Global Security"

Objectives: The updated LusoGlobe objectives should now reflect its connection with the IDN project, focusing on the integration of wargaming, AI, regulatory processes, and educational initiatives. The revised objectives could be:

• Expand the use of AI in wargaming and simulations to enhance strategic decision-making in international security contexts.
• Develop educational tools (cases and simulations) to be used in training programs, particularly in the framework of the National Education Program for Security, Defense, and Peace.
• Analyze the impact of AI on regulatory processes and security policy development, using insights from wargaming and simulation exercises.
• Promote international collaboration by leveraging partnerships with Uppsala University, ECEME, and IDN, to incorporate global perspectives on AI, wargaming, and security challenges.

Methodologies: LusoGlobe can incorporate methodologies aligned with the IDN project to ensure consistency in approach and innovation. The key methodologies could include:

• AI-Driven Simulations and Wargaming:
  Developing simulations that incorporate AI to model complex security scenarios dynamically, upholding decision-making analyses.

• Case-Based Learning:
  Creating case studies from the simulations and wargames to serve as teaching tools in academic settings and professional training environments.

• Cross-Institutional Collaboration:
  Strengthening partnerships with institutions like IDN to undertake joint research and simulations, leveraging AI and wargaming expertise for mutual benefit.

AI in Scenario Generation:
Utilizing AI to generate and adjust dynamic scenarios for teaching and research, enabling students and professionals to engage with complex and evolving security challenges.

Key Deliverables:

• Development of interdisciplinary simulations that integrate real-time data and AI-driven models for security analysis.
• Workshops and training programs leveraging AI-enhanced wargaming to improve decision-making and strategic analysis, aimed at educators and security professionals.
• Publication of case studies and analysis reports that focus on AI's application in security scenarios, as well as assessments of policy responses to these challenges.

Expected Impact: The LusoGlobe project should continue to emphasize its dual role: advancing academic research and creating practical tools for education and training. Aligning with the IDN project ensures that LusoGlobe impacts the academic, governmental, and defense spheres, positioning it as a leader in AI and wargaming research.

Focus Areas:

• Wargaming and Performance Evaluation:
  The focus on wargaming as a methodology for assessing strategic outcomes, similar to the IDN project, should be strengthened. Wargaming will serve both as an educational tool and a means of evaluating regulatory and security frameworks.

• Research on AI in Governance:
  Expanding beyond AI applications in simulations, the LusoGlobe project should delve into how AI is transforming security governance and regulatory mechanisms. This includes its implications for international law, defense policies, and crisis management strategies.

Dissemination:

• Insights and findings from one project should feed into the other. For example, the practical simulations developed in the IDN project could enhance the academic case studies produced by LusoGlobe.

• Engage with global academic and policy institutions that focus on AI, wargaming, and international security. This will ensure that the outputs of LusoGlobe have global relevance, extending beyond local and national spheres.

The GIRI-hub (Gamification in International Relations Lab) at the LusoGlobe Centre serves as a cutting-edge platform for research and collaborative analysis, focusing on the development and evaluation of wargames and crisis games. These serious games are instrumental in training and enhancing the strategic and operational understanding of decision-making processes and the intricate outcomes of various paradigms and choices. The project operates on interconnected levels, each linked to distinct cooperation schemes.

Firstly, in collaboration with the Portuguese National Defense Institute (IDN), the GIRI-hub contributes to the Portuguese Educational Referential for Security, Defense, and Peace. This initiative involves designing simulations for use in public schools to foster a culture of peace and defence awareness, thereby educating the next generation on critical security issues.

Secondly, the GIRI-hub integrates researchers into cyber and artificial intelligence agendas essential for security awareness. This project facet adopts a human rights perspective, addressing the intersection of technological advancements and human conditions. Moreover, the GIRI-hub functions as a transversal discipline, integrating the Lab into various curricula to promote a multidisciplinary approach to research on its primary themes. This integration enhances the educational impact and broadens the scope of research in international relations and security studies.

The GIRI-hub also collaborates with Uppsala University, a key partner in funding applications to FCT and other agencies, further extending its research capabilities and collaborative networks. Additionally, the GIRI-hub partners with Brazilian Defense Colleges (ECEME, ESD, EGN) in developing the AJAPT (Agents Joint Assessment and Planning Tool). This tool, authored by Sabrina Medeiros, Ana Paiva, and Cintiene Mendes, represents significant advancements in the international field of wargaming. It is showcased and actively cooperated on within the International Studies Association wargaming workshop group, which includes prestigious institutions such as Berkeley, MIT, and others.

LusoGlobe researcher-in-charge: Sabrina Medeiros
LusoGlobe researchers (SMEs): Helia Bracons, Fernando Campos

• Jonathan Hall, Uppsala Peace Lab
• Ana Paiva, ECEME
• Cintiene Mendes, ESD
• Marcos Valle, BNWC
• Maria Francisca Saraiva, University of Lisbon
• Aggie Hirst, King's College London (KCL)
• Steven Wagner, Birkbeck, University of London
• Vitor Asal, University at Albany
• Nergiz Özkural Köroğlu (TR)
• Selin Karana (TR)
• Claudio Correa, BNWC

Through these multifaceted collaborations and innovative approaches, the GIRI-hub aims to advance both theoretical and practical understanding of international relations and security, promoting a comprehensive approach to education and strategic analysis in these critical fields.

Cyber-security and Artificial Intelligence

The GIRI-hub also has an important interface towards Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security Advocacy and Analysis, where social impact and transformation are the main attributes. This interface happens mainly with the collaboration with the InterAgency Institute which serves as a civil society bridge to policy development and the Nova War Law Lab.

• Ana Beatriz Duarte, InterAgency Institute
• Giuseppe Cocco, UFRJ and American University Paris
• Laura Iñigo, NOVA War & Law Lab
• Italo Poty, UFRJ

The GIRI-hub is also a transversal discipline that integrates junior researchers and students from undergraduate and graduate courses.