Russia and authoritarian allies use AI for election interference

Leaked documents and recent social media activity reveal a coordinated effort by Russia, China, and Iran to use artificial intelligence for election interference and psychological influence operations.

Russia’s “Projects 2026” strategy outlines plans to monitor influential individuals in Europe and Israel by creating an opinion leader database. This includes tracking social media profiles to map values and vulnerabilities. The strategy also involves the “AI News” initiative, which aims to produce hundreds of short videos to target specific audiences, such as those in France.

In the United States, a Kremlin-backed campaign has begun using AI-cloned voices to doctor videos of Hollywood celebrities. These deepfakes depict actors such as Julia Roberts and Christopher Lloyd making false political statements intended to discredit the Democratic Party. These videos often use unauthorized news logos and are distributed across platforms like X, TikTok, and Bluesky to spread disinformation during election cycles.