Russia's AI tactics aim to sway U.S election through disinformation

Russia is responsible for the largest amount of content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of the U.S. presidential elections, a representative of the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) announced during a Monday briefing. According to U.S. intelligence services, Moscow is using AI technologies to support Donald Trump's campaign and to harm Kamala Harris's image.

According to data presented at the Monday briefing, Russia is currently the leader in the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate public opinion on social media, aiming to influence the outcome of the elections in the United States.

The ODNI representative emphasized that "Russia uses AI to create content across all media platforms – texts, images, audio, and videos," allowing for the widespread dissemination of pro-Russian narratives on the internet. This process is supported by bots and fake social media accounts.

This is part of a broader Russian effort to support the former president's candidacy and slander the vice president and the Democratic Party, including through conspiracy narratives, said the ODNI official.

He noted, however, that currently, AI is not yet a 'revolutionary tool of influence' due to technological limitations that sometimes make it easier to detect content generated by algorithms. Nonetheless, these capabilities may develop, especially with the creation of more advanced AI models and a strategic approach to choosing targeted audience groups.

During the briefing, specific examples of disinformation were also discussed, including a video featuring actors hired by the Russian services. The video depicted the alleged victim of a car accident that supposedly occurred in 2011, in which, according to false information, Kamala Harris hit a 13-year-old girl.

This material was not created using AI, but with actors, and its production was associated with a fictional local television station in San Francisco, set up by the Russians, added the intelligence representative.

The ODNI representative noted that besides Russia, other countries, such as China and Iran, are also trying to influence the elections in the U.S. China's operations focus on highlighting social divisions and promoting a positive image of their own country. On the other hand, Iran uses AI to create fake news portals and content on social media, mimicking real sources of information.

The above information indicates that foreign states, especially Russia, are increasingly investing in the development and use of artificial intelligence as a tool of political influence. Although AI is not yet perfect, its future potential may pose a challenge to democratic election processes in the U.S. and worldwide.