US Justice Department Shuts Down Russian AI Bot Network Spreading Misinformation

US officials claim to have taken action against a Russian-run AI-powered information operation that included around 1,000 accounts that were impersonating Americans.

Though the X accounts were automated “bots” rather than actual humans, they were intended to disseminate pro-Russian content.

The US Justice Department revealed court documents on Tuesday, stating that a deputy editor at RT, previously Russia Today, which is owned by the Kremlin, was responsible for designing the operation.

RT appears to be far more popular on social media than on traditional broadcast channels, even though it operates TV channels in English and several other languages.

The Justice Department ordered X to provide information about 968 accounts that they claim are bots, and they also confiscated two websites that were used to send emails linked to the bot accounts.

According to court filings, the accounts propagated pro-Russian narratives, specifically related to the crisis in Ukraine, and were created using artificial intelligence.

FBI Director Christopher Wray stated, “Today’s actions represent a first in disrupting a Russian-sponsored generative AI-enhanced social media bot farm.”

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According to a statement issued by Mr. Wray, “Russia intended to use this bot farm to disseminate foreign disinformation generated by AI, scaling their work with the assistance of AI to undermine our partners in Ukraine and influence geopolitical narratives favorable to the Russian government.”

According to screenshots released by FBI agents, X appears to have erased the accounts, and they appeared to have very few followers.

Court documents state that the accused “bot farm” was established by an RT deputy editor-in-chief who was looking for creative ways to share information. Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, numerous major US cable TV providers dropped RT America, resulting in its shutdown.

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The court documents stated that the network was built by another RT employee and that a Russian intelligence officer later joined the project. The Justice Department characterized this as an attempt “to sow discord in the United States by spreading misinformation.”

The Justice Department stated that their investigation is ongoing, even though no criminal charges have been made public in this matter.

The director of the non-profit American Sunlight Project, which works to stop the spread of false information, Nina Jankowicz, stated that it was not unexpected that a Russian-affiliated organization was using artificial intelligence (AI) to fabricate accounts.

She noted that the operation seemed to have been prevented before it gathered pace. “This used to be one of the more time-consuming parts of their work; now it has been made much smoother,” she said.

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According to Ms. Jankowicz, “artificial intelligence is now clearly part of the disinformation arsenal.”