AI-driven disinformation network uses paid actors to target US politicians

An investigation by Semafor has uncovered a network of YouTube channels using paid actors to deliver political content generated or processed by artificial intelligence. These videos, which often masqueraded as independent reports from ordinary citizens, utilized exaggerated titles and false information to target Democratic politicians, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.

According to the organization Riddance AI, approximately 12 interconnected channels have amassed over 45 million views and 90,000 comments on YouTube, alongside millions of views on TikTok. The operation utilized a ‘ghost creator’ model, employing real people instead of virtual avatars to make the AI-generated content harder to detect. One actor confirmed being paid to read scripts but claimed ignorance regarding the identity of the financiers.

Job postings from a company called Virelox sought presenters to quickly record news-style material, sometimes offering as little as $26 per video. Virelox founder Caleb Chan previously claimed on social media that his network included more than 500 ‘ghost creators’ capable of generating billions of monthly views by manipulating YouTube algorithms through coordinated tagging.