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The US claims Russia is using AI to influence the presidential election and has accused Russian media outlet RT of being actively involved in propaganda campaigns.
The US has accused Russia of conducting various influence campaigns against the country and has seized 32 internet domains to stop these activities.
The US Justice Department claims these 32 sites are part of Russian government-directed campaigns to spread propaganda for various purposes, such as reducing international support for Ukraine, bolstering pro-Russian interests and influencing voters in “US and foreign elections”, including the upcoming US presidential election.
Both the US Justice and Treasury departments claim Russian state-sponsored actors are using various tools to undermine confidence in the US election process, such as generative AI deepfakes and disinformation.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Russian government is influencing the US election to secure its “preferred outcome” according to internal documents from the Kremlin.
“Our actions today make clear that the Justice Department will be aggressive in countering and disrupting attempts by the Russian government, or any other malign actor, to interfere in our elections and undermine our democracy,” Garland said.
FBI director Christopher Wray said the action taken “exposes the scope” of Russia’s influence operations and “their reliance on cutting-edge AI to sow disinformation”.
“Companies operating at the direction of the Russian government created websites to trick Americans into unwittingly consuming Russian propaganda,” Wray said. “By seizing these websites, the FBI is making clear to the world what they are, Russian attempts to interfere in our elections and influence our society.”
The US also sanctioned 10 individuals and two entities as part of a coordinated effort to disrupt these alleged interferences. The Treasure Department claims executives at RT – Russia’s state-funded news media outlet – have been covertly recruiting US influencers to support these campaigns.
The US charged two RT managers with paying US influencers to spread Russian propaganda and claims the media executives used fake personas and a front company to disguise RT’s involvement.
RT responded to the US accusations with mockery, telling the BBC that “2016 called and it wants its clichés back”.
Tensions between the US and Russia have been running high for years and the US has issued various warnings of the threat of Russian cyberattacks.
Earlier this year, Russian cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab shut down its US operations after it was hit with a national ban. The company has faced US scrutiny over its connection to Russia.
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