P. W. Singer

{{Infobox scientist

| name = P. W. Singer

| image = PeterWSinger-highres.jpg

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| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1974}}

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| birth_name = Peter Warren Singer

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| nationality = American

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| fields = Political Science, International Relations, Modern warfare

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| alma_mater = {{Plainlist|

Princeton University (BA)
Harvard University (PhD)

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| known_for = Corporate Warriors, Children at War, Wired For War

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Peter Warren Singer (born 1974) is an American political scientist, an international relations scholar and a specialist on 21st-century warfare. He is a New York Times bestselling author of both nonfiction and fiction, who has been described in The Wall Street Journal as "the premier futurist in the national-security environment".{{Cite news|last=Nissenbaum|first=Dion|date=2015-06-29|title=Author Warns U.S. Military to Focus on China|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/author-warns-u-s-military-to-focus-on-china-1435539010|access-date=2021-09-02|issn=0099-9660}}

Career

He is currently Strategist for the New America Foundation, a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University,{{Cite web|date=2019-04-19|title=Cybersecurity expert joins ASU as professor of practice|url=https://news.asu.edu/20190419-cybersecurity-expert-joins-asu-professor-practice|access-date=2021-09-02|website=ASU News|language=en}} and a founder of Useful Fiction LLC.{{Cite web|title=Home, Useful Fiction|url=https://useful-fiction.com/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Useful Fiction|language=en-US}} He has also received the title of a "mad scientist" for the US Army's Training and Doctrine Command.{{Cite web|date=2021-06-10|title=332. Realer than Real: Useful Fiction with P.W. Singer and August Cole|url=https://madsciblog.tradoc.army.mil/332-realer-than-real-useful-fiction-with-p-w-singer-and-august-cole/|access-date=2021-09-02|language=en-US}} Singer previously worked at the Harvard University Belfer Center, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and was senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he was director of the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence.{{cite web|url=http://www.brookings.edu/about/centers/security-and-intelligence |title=Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence |publisher=Brookings Institution |date= |accessdate=2013-12-29}} Singer also served as coordinator of the Defense Policy Task Force for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign as well as contributing editor for Popular Science.{{Cite web|title=Blog Eastern Arsenal Archives|url=https://www.popsci.com/blog-eastern-arsenal/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Popular Science|language=en-US}}

Singer has been named to the "Top 100 Global Thinkers" list by Foreign Policy.{{cite web|last=Rothkopf |first=David |authorlink=David Rothkopf| url=https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/11/30/the_fp_top_100_global_thinkers |title=The FP Top 100 Global Thinkers |work=Foreign Policy |date=2009-11-30 |accessdate=2013-12-29}} Defense News named him one of the 100 most influential people on defense issues.{{cite web |url=http://special.defensenews.com/people/2012/profile.php?pn=92 |title=This URL has been excluded from the Wayback Machine. |accessdate=2015-05-22 }}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} He also served on the advisory group for Joint Forces Command, helping the U.S. military visualize and plan for the future. In 2015, he was named by Onalytica analysis as one of the ten most influential voices on cybersecurity.{{cite web|date=|title="About Us"|url=https://useful-fiction.com/about-us/|access-date=August 30, 2021|website=Useful Fiction|publisher=}} In addition to his work on conflict issues, Singer was a member of the State Department's Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy.{{Cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/e/eb/adcom/acicip//index.htm|title=International Communications and Information Policy|website=2009-2017.state.gov}}

Singer has provided commentary on technology and military affairs for many of the major TV and radio outlets, including ABC News Nightline, Al Jazeera, BBC, CBS-60 Minutes, CNN, Fox, NPR, The Daily Show, and the NBC Today Show.

He is also a founder and organizer of multiple non-profit initiatives. They include the U.S.–Islamic World Forum, a global conference that brings together leaders from across the United States and the Muslim world,[http://www.pwsinger.com/biography.html P.W. Singer Biography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203054705/http://pwsinger.com/biography.html |date=2013-12-03 }}, PWSinger.com{{cite web |url=http://www.us-islamicworldforum.org/overview.html |title=U.S.–Islamic World Forum |accessdate=2013-12-29 |url-status=bot: unknown |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114203527/http://www.us-islamicworldforum.org/overview.html |archivedate=November 14, 2007 }} the Cyber Citizenship initiative, which seeks to build skills among K-12 students to have greater resilience from online threats of misinformation and disinformation,{{Cite web|title=Cyber Citizenship Initiative|url=http://newamerica.org/education-policy/cyber-citizenship-initiative/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=New America|language=en}} and the #ShareTheMicInCyber Fellowship,{{Cite web |title=#ShareTheMicInCyber Fellowship |url=http://newamerica.org/international-security/stmic-fellowship/ |access-date=2023-05-01 |website=New America |language=en}} which support professionals from traditionally underrepresented communities in the field of cybersecurity.

Singer has also worked with a variety of entertainment world projects for Warner Brothers, DreamWorks, and Universal, including the movies Traitor, and Whistleblower, the TV series Strike Back and Curiosity, as well as the 24: Redemption movie/DVD. Singer served as consultant on the bestselling Activision video game series Call of Duty.{{cite web|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2012/05/interview-black-ops-ii-consultant-peter-singer/1#.UZwk1iuc7yd |title=Interview: 'Black Ops II' consultant Peter Singer |publisher=USA Today |date=2012-05-02 |accessdate=2013-12-29}}

Books

=''Corporate Warriors''=

His first book, Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry (Cornell University Press, 2003, {{ISBN|0801441145}}), was the first to explore the new industry of private companies providing military services for hire, an issue that soon became important with the use and abuse of these companies in Iraq.{{cite web|url=http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/?GCOI=80140100946630|title=Corporate Warriors|work=cornell.edu}} The book was named best book of the year by the American Political Science Association, among the top five international affairs books of the year by the Gelber Prize,{{cite web|url=http://www.brookings.edu/about/media-relations/news-releases/2004/20040302gelberprize|title=Brookings Book Wins 2003 Lionel Gelber Prize|date=2 March 2004|work=The Brookings Institution}} and a "top ten summer read" by Businessweek.

=''Children at War''=

Singer's next book, Children at War (Pantheon, 2005), explored the rise of another new force in modern warfare, child soldier groups. The book was one of the winners of the 2006 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Book of the Year Award.{{cite web|url=https://rfkhumanrights.org/awards/book-and-journalism-awards/book-laureates/p-w-singer|title=P.W.Singer|work=Robert F Kennedy Human Rights}}

=''Wired for War''=

Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century (Penguin, 2009, {{ISBN|9781594201981}}) is a best-selling book by P. W. Singer. It explores how science fiction has started to play out on modern day battlefields, with robots used more and more in war. Singer's 2009 book tour included stops on NPR's Fresh Air,{{cite web|work=Fresh Air, WHYY |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99663723 |title='Wired For War' Explores Robots On The Battlefield |publisher=NPR |date=January 22, 2009 |accessdate=2013-12-29}} the Daily Show with Jon Stewart,{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?title=p.w.-singer&videoId=217010 |title=P.W. Singer - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart |date=2009-01-29 |work=The Daily Show |publisher=Comedy Central |accessdate=2013-12-29}} the opening of the TED conference, the Royal Court of the United Arab Emirates and presentations at 75 venues around the United States.

=''Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know''=

Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know{{cite web|url=http://www.cybersecuritybook.com|title=Cybersecurity and Cyberwar - P. W. Singer and Allan Friedman|work=cybersecuritybook.com}} (Oxford University Press, 2014, {{ISBN|9780199918096}}) is a book by P. W. Singer and Allan Friedman. The book explores how the Internet and cybersecurity works, why it matters, and what can be done. It was featured on Charlie Rose,{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/video/-cybersecurity-and-cyberwar-charlie-rose-01-10-Epe_tGvvTQGga~xNgsf~1A.html|title='Cybersecurity and Cyberwar': Peter W. Singer|publisher=Bloomberg.com}} NPR's Fresh Air, CNBC Squawkbox, the SXSW conference, and named to the official reading lists for the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy.

=''Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War''=

Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War{{cite web|url=http://www.ghostfleetbook.com|title=Ghost Fleet Book - A Novel of the Next World War|work=ghostfleetbook.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/Ghost-Fleet/9780544142848|title=Ghost Fleet|work=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|access-date=2015-05-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518084114/http://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/Ghost-Fleet/9780544142848|archive-date=2015-05-18|url-status=dead}} (Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015, {{ISBN|0544142845}}) is Singer's first novel, co-written with August Cole. The book created the concept of FICINT, short for "Fictional Intelligence." FICINT has been defined by the authors as "a hybrid of narrative and research analysis, designed both to entertain and educate."{{Cite web|last=Cole|first=August|date=Spring 2020|title="Thinking The Unthinkable With Useful Fiction"|url=https://www.queensu.ca/psychology/sites/webpublish.queensu.ca.psycwww/files/files/Journal%20of%20Future%20Conflict/Issue%202%20Fall%202020/Issue_2-Singer.pdf|access-date=Sep 2, 2021|website=Queen's University}} Using the format of a novel, Ghost Fleet melded nonfiction style research on emerging trends and technology with a fictional exploration of what war at sea, on land, in the air, space, and cyberspace will be like in the future. Publishers Weekly described it: "Tom Clancy fans will relish Singer and Cole's first novel, a chilling vision of what might happen in a world war."{{cite book|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-544-14284-8|title=Fiction Book Review: Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War by P. W. Singer and August Cole|isbn=978-0-544-14284-8|publisher=Publishers Weekly|last1=Singer|first1=Peter Warren|last2=Cole|first2=August|year=2015}} The book was subsequently placed on the reading list of organizations ranging from all the US military services to the CIA and Royal Air Force.{{Cite web|date=2014-12-31|title=Reviews|url=https://www.ghostfleetbook.com/reviews/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Ghost Fleet Book|language=en-US}} The US Navy also later named a robotic ship program "Ghost Fleet."{{Cite web|date=2021-07-14|title=Two More 'Ghost Fleet' Unmanned Test Ships to Join Fleet Next Year|url=https://news.usni.org/2021/07/13/two-more-ghost-fleet-unmanned-test-ships-to-join-fleet-next-year|access-date=2021-09-02|website=USNI News|language=en-US}}

= ''LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media'' =

LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media{{Cite web|url=https://www.likewarbook.com/|title=LikeWar|website=LikeWar|language=en-US|access-date=2018-10-11}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/LikeWar/9781328695741|title=Order LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media, {{Text|ISBN}}: 1328695743 {{!}} HMH|website=www.hmhco.com|language=en|access-date=2018-10-11}} (Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018, {{ISBN|9781328695741}}) is a book by P. W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking. The book examines the history of communications, the rise of open-source intelligence, the failed promise of cyber-utopianism, the advent of internet-based information warfare, and the growing political influence of Silicon Valley. Singer and Brooking identify a new mode of conflict, "LikeWar", in which competing viral phenomena influence the outcome of both military operations and political campaigns.{{Cite journal|last=Singer|first=P. W.|date=2018-10-04|title=What Clausewitz Can Teach Us About War on Social Media|url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2018-10-04/what-clausewitz-can-teach-us-about-war-social-media|journal=Foreign Affairs|language=en-US}} Singer has described "cyberwar" as hacking computer networks and "likewar" as hacking people on them, "where the object is to drive something viral through a mix of likes, shares, and sometimes lies."{{Cite web|date=2019-10-22|title=7 rules for how military leaders should use social media|url=https://taskandpurpose.com/opinion/military-leaders-social-media-likewar/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Task & Purpose|language=en-US}} In a starred review, Booklist described it as, "required reading for everyone living in a democracy and all who aspire to,"{{Cite book|last=Pekoll|first=James|url=https://www.booklistonline.com/LikeWar-The-Weaponization-of-Social-Media-Emerson-T-Brooking/pid=9707992?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1|title=LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media, by P. W. Singer {{!}} Booklist Online|via=www.booklistonline.com|access-date=2018-10-11}} while Amazon and Foreign Affairs named it a book of the year.{{Cite book|last1=Singer|first1=P. W.|title=LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media|last2=Brooking|first2=Emerson T.|date=2018-10-02|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=978-1328695741 }}

= ''Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution'' =

Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution{{Cite web|url=https://www.burninbook.com/|title=BURN-IN – A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution|website=www.burninbook.com|language=en-US|access-date=2020-07-12}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/BurnIn/9781328637239|title=Order Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution {{Text|ISBN}}: 9781328637239 {{!}} HMH|website=www.hmhco.com|language=en|access-date=2020-07-12}} (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020, {{ISBN| 9781328637239}}) is the second novel of "useful fiction" by Singer and August Cole. It used the format of a technothriller to share 300 nonfiction insights about the trends of AI and automation and their political, economic, and social effects.{{Cite web|date=2020-05-27|title=MWI Podcast: The Robotic Revolution is Upon Us|url=https://mwi.usma.edu/mwi-podcast-robotic-revolution-upon-us/|access-date=2021-09-02|website=Modern War Institute|language=en-US}}

On December 15, 2020, it was announced that a drama based on the novel was in development by CBS with Rideback as the production company and Robert Doherty, Daniel Lin, Lindsey Liberatore, P.W. Singer, and August Cole as executive producers.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/12/burn-in-ai-drama-based-novel-cbs-rob-doherty-rideback-1234656372|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215171157/https://deadline.com/2020/12/burn-in-ai-drama-based-novel-cbs-rob-doherty-rideback-1234656372/|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 December 2020|title='Burn In' AI Drama Based on Book in Works at CBS from Rob Doherty & Rideback|date=15 December 2020}}

Notes

External links

[http://www.pwsinger.com/ P.W. Singer Author website]
{{C-SPAN|92182}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080709020450/http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/experts/singerp/singerp_cv.pdf Curriculum vitae]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20041103230752/http://www.brookings.edu/scholars/fellows/psinger.htm Brookings Institution]
[http://wiredforwar.pwsinger.com Wired for War book website]
[http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/18348 Video (with audio-only available) of conversation with Singer] and John Horgan on Bloggingheads.tv
[http://www.theory-talks.org/2009/04/theory-talk-29.html Interview with Peter Singer on Child Soldiers, Private Soldiers and Robots by Theory Talks]
[http://www.pritzkermilitary.org/whats_on/pritzker-military-presents/pw-singer-wired-war/ Interview] on Wired for War at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2009/09/090921_forum_200909.shtml Audio: Peter Singer in conversation on the BBC World Service discussion programme] The Forum
{{TED speaker}}