A girl walks in entrance of the Kremlin on September 23, 2024. U.S. intelligence officers say Russia has embraced synthetic intelligence instruments to attempt to sway American voters forward of the November election.
Alexander Nemenov/AFP by way of Getty Pictures/AFP
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Alexander Nemenov/AFP by way of Getty Pictures/AFP
Russia is probably the most prolific international affect actor utilizing synthetic intelligence to generate content material concentrating on the 2024 presidential election, U.S. intelligence officers stated on Monday.
The cutting-edge expertise is making it simpler for Russia in addition to Iran to shortly and extra convincingly tailor often-polarizing content material aimed toward swaying American voters, an official from the Workplace of the Director of Nationwide Intelligence, who spoke on situation of anonymity, advised reporters at a briefing.
“The [intelligence community] considers AI a malign affect accelerant, not but a revolutionary affect software,” the official stated. “In different phrases, data operations are the risk, and AI is an enabler.”
Intelligence officers have beforehand stated they noticed AI utilized in elections abroad. “Our replace in the present day makes clear that that is now taking place right here,” the ODNI official stated.
Russian affect operations have unfold artificial pictures, video, audio, and textual content on-line, officers stated. That features AI-generated content material “of and about outstanding U.S. figures” and materials in search of to emphasise divisive points akin to immigration. Officers stated that’s in keeping with the Kremlin’s broader purpose to spice up former President Donald Trump and denigrate Vice President Kamala Harris.
However Russia can also be utilizing lower-tech strategies. The ODNI official stated Russian affect actors staged a video through which a lady claimed to be a sufferer of a hit-and-run by Harris in 2011. There’s no proof that ever occurred. Final week, Microsoft additionally stated Russia was behind the video, which was unfold by an internet site claiming to be a nonexistent native San Francisco TV station.
Russia can also be behind manipulated movies of Harris’s speeches, the ODNI official stated. They might have been altered utilizing modifying instruments or with AI. They have been disseminated on social media and utilizing different strategies.
“One of many efforts we see Russian affect actors do is, once they create this media, attempt to encourage its unfold,” the ODNI official stated.
The official stated the movies of Harris had been altered in a variety of the way, to “paint her in a nasty gentle each personally but in addition compared to her opponent” and to concentrate on points Russia believes are divisive.
Iran has additionally tapped AI to generate social media posts and write faux tales for web sites posing as reliable information shops, officers stated. The intelligence group has stated Iran is in search of to undercut Trump within the 2024 election.
Iran has used AI to create such content material in each English and Spanish, and is concentrating on Individuals “throughout the political spectrum on polarizing points” together with the warfare in Gaza and the presidential candidates, officers stated.
China, the third predominant international risk to U.S. elections, is utilizing AI in its broader affect operations that intention to form world views of China and amplify divisive subjects within the U.S. akin to drug use, immigration, and abortion, officers stated.
Nonetheless, officers stated they’d not recognized any AI-powered operations concentrating on the result of voting within the U.S. The intelligence group has stated Beijing’s affect operations are extra centered on down-ballot races within the U.S. than the presidential contest.
U.S. officers, lawmakers, tech firms, and researchers have been involved in regards to the potential for AI-powered manipulation to upend this yr’s election marketing campaign, akin to deepfake movies or audio depicting candidates doing or saying one thing they did not or deceptive voters in regards to the voting course of.
Whereas these threats could but nonetheless materialize as election day attracts nearer, to this point AI has been used extra ceaselessly in several methods: by international adversaries to enhance productiveness and increase quantity, and by political partisans to generate memes and jokes.
On Monday, the ODNI official stated international actors have been gradual to beat three predominant obstacles to AI-generated content material changing into a better threat to American elections: first, overcome guardrails constructed into many AI instruments with out being detected; second, develop their very own refined fashions; and third, strategically goal and distribute AI content material.
As Election Day nears, the intelligence group can be monitoring for international efforts to introduce misleading or AI-generated content material in quite a lot of methods, together with “laundering materials by means of outstanding figures,” utilizing faux social media accounts or web sites posing as information shops, or “releasing supposed ‘leaks’ of AI-generated content material that seem delicate or controversial,” the ODNI report stated.
Earlier this month, the Justice Division accused Russian state broadcaster RT, which the U.S. authorities says operates as an arm of Russian intelligence providers, of funneling practically $10 million to pro-Trump American influencers who posted movies vital of Harris and Ukraine. The influencers say they didn’t know the cash got here from Russia.
