Meridian Influence Group
Meridian Influence Group is a strategic advisory firm specializing in AI threat defense, influence operations, and cognitive warfare. Founded in May 2025 by Dr. Todd C. Helmus, a 20-year RAND Corporation veteran and leading behavioral scientist, the firm operates at the intersection of behavioral science, artificial intelligence, and national security.
Mission and Scope
The core mission of Meridian Influence Group is to equip defense contractors, allied governments, corporate enterprises, and civic institutions with the capabilities to anticipate, detect, and counter complex information campaigns and AI-driven threats. The firm focuses on turning intelligence into action by leveraging deep behavioral science expertise and applying it to the rapidly evolving landscape of generative AI and information operations.
Core Practice Areas
Meridian Influence Group provides services across three primary practice areas:
1. AI Capability Design & Solution Architecture
The firm advises defense technology companies and AI developers on designing, acquiring, and deploying next-generation information advantage tools. Services include:
- Technical Design Advisory: Guiding engineering teams in developing machine learning-based detection systems, NLP content classifiers, and adversary behavior modeling platforms.
- AI Safety & Governance: Designing acceptable-use policies, fitness-for-purpose standards, and risk governance frameworks for AI deployment in high-stakes environments.
- Capture Strategy: Assisting firms in articulating the operational value of their platforms to government sponsors (e.g., DoD, IC, DHS) and architecting winning proposals for government contracts.
2. Defense IO & Influence Operations
Drawing on Dr. Helmus’s foundational work in military strategic communications, the firm supports defense contractors and allied partners in influence campaign design and evaluation. Services include:
- IO Strategy & Campaign Design: Applying the “Enlisting Madison Avenue” methodology (audience segmentation and private-sector marketing principles) to military PSYOP and strategic communications.
- Program Evaluation: Deploying rigorous measurement frameworks to assess the effectiveness of influence campaigns and counter-messaging efforts.
- Training & Doctrine: Developing information operations doctrine, red-teaming adversary scenarios, and providing professional development for military IO professionals.
3. AI Threat Defense & Institutional Resilience
Meridian Influence Group protects corporate brands, executive leadership, and democratic institutions against the escalating threat of AI-generated information attacks and foreign interference. Services include:
- Deepfake & Synthetic Media Preparedness: Assessing organizational exposure to AI-generated deepfakes and developing tailored detection frameworks and threat models.
- Rapid-Response Defense: Designing pre-positioned response playbooks for neutralizing information attacks and protecting against adversary-driven manipulation.
- Executive Education: Facilitating board-level briefings, crisis simulations, and tabletop exercises focused on AI information threats.
Leadership and Expertise
The firm is anchored by the expertise of its founder, Dr. Todd C. Helmus, whose background provides Meridian Influence Group with a unique competitive advantage. Dr. Helmus’s extensive career at RAND, his on-the-ground experience advising U.S. military commands in conflict zones, and his deep understanding of clinical psychology and persuasion form the methodological foundation of the firm’s approach.
Significance in the Narrative Industry
Meridian Influence Group represents a critical node in the professionalization and commercialization of cognitive warfare defense. As adversaries increasingly leverage generative AI to conduct influence operations at scale, there is a growing demand for specialized advisory services that bridge the gap between technical AI capabilities and human behavioral science. By explicitly targeting both the defense sector (helping build and deploy IO tools) and the corporate/civic sector (providing defense against AI threats), Meridian Influence Group is positioned as a key player in shaping how organizations navigate the modern information environment.