In a hint of how damaging synthetic media is likely to become, the US Justice Department recently announced the shut-down of one vast Russian-state propaganda operation on the social media network X (formerly Twitter) where nearly 1,000 fake accounts, complete with auto-generated realistic images and texts, simulated Americans and pushed falsified, Kremlin-funded and -approved ‘pro-Russian narratives’. Ostensibly, they were created by artificial intelligence and trained to dominate the conversations on the platform, though it is unclear whether they shifted the language of X’s geopolitical dezinformatsiya in any significant way. The network focused on Russia’s claims to Ukraine and other areas of geopolitical conflict, but in reality, one can imagine it being just as adept at bolstering any political agenda.
The US Attorney General Merrick Garland made a point of emphasising the government’s intention to address the issue using the law, saying that: ‘Russia was not the only culprit spoiling for a fight … It’s not just too late for Ukraine. Russia’s disruption of truth is a threat to democracies everywhere.’ X says it identified and suspended the bot accounts, and cooperated with the ensuing investigation. By disrupting this specific campaign, the operation demonstrates that it’s possible to take steps to tackle the larger problem of misinformation online. But Russian state media’s use of an AI bot with a ‘Meliorator’ – someone who makes things better – in its name shows just how sophisticated and serious these disinformation campaigns are becoming.
While this network is no longer active, experts warn that the risk of online disinformation – in particular, the poisoning of public opinion and electoral processes – has not diminished. Adding to the woes, while moderation standards in platforms have been chipped away, the information war is raging and needs to be fought harder than ever before. So, the task of securing digital communication platforms against nefarious, foreign influence remains a high priority for both state and private sector.
Source: Yahoo
