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3 clusters · 22 sources · 9 days · First seen 13 days ago · Last updated 4 days ago

AI disinformation in US midterm elections

Overview

As the United States midterm elections approach, researchers have identified a surge in artificial intelligence-generated disinformation, a phenomenon termed ‘slopaganda’. Data from the Wesleyan Media Project indicates that spending on AI-generated political advertisements has exceeded $137 million, with approximately 80% of these ads funded by Republicans. Furthermore, roughly 70% of the identified AI content lacked clear labels identifying it as synthetic.

The disinformation has specifically targeted Democratic Senate candidates. In Ohio, manipulated newscasts have been used against Sherrod Brown, involving a former intern who stated that allegations attributed to her were “completely made up”. In Texas, candidate James Talarico has been targeted by deepfake videos framed as confessions from former students.

Recent reports link these social media videos, believed to be produced with artificial intelligence, to Russia. These videos reportedly misuse the names and photographs of real individuals to spread disinformation. In Ohio, clips targeting Sherrod Brown appear to depict newscasts using images of former staff members, including Haya Akbik, who stated that the claims attributed to her are “completely false and damaging to her reputation”. In Texas, a spokesperson for Talarico characterized the deepfake videos as “slander involving AI deepfakes and foreign bots”.

While some social media platforms, such as X, have reportedly taken down initial posts, copies of these videos continue to circulate. Experts suggest these tactics align with a known playbook used by foreign adversaries to influence voters and undermine political processes through fabricated information.

Entities

James Talarico · Haya Akbik · Russia · United States · Sherrod Brown

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 4 SOURCES] Social media videos suspected of being produced with AI are linked to Russia.
[● 4 SOURCES] The videos misuse the names and photographs of real people to spread disinformation.
[● 4 SOURCES] Sherrod Brown is a Democratic Senate candidate in Ohio.
[● 4 SOURCES] Haya Akbik is a former intern for Sherrod Brown.
[● 4 SOURCES] James Talarico is a Democratic Senate candidate in Texas.
[● 4 SOURCES] X removed initial posts and suspended users for violating platform rules.
[● 2 SOURCES] A TikTok creator reported an attempted scam using AI voice cloning to impersonate a relative.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Google SynthID detected AI watermarks in an audio file involving Manfred Reyes Villa and Fernando Cerimedo.

Timeline

4 days ago

[POLITICS] 3 sources
Russia-linked AI disinformation targets US Senate candidates
AI-generated disinformation videos, allegedly linked to Russia, are using real people's identities to target Democratic Senate candidates Sherrod Brown in Ohio and James Talarico in Texas.
11 days ago

[POLITICS] 7 sources
AI-generated disinformation targets US Senate candidates
AI-linked disinformation videos are targeting US Democratic Senate candidates Sherrod Brown and James Talarico by misusing real people's identities to spread false claims.
13 days ago

[POLITICS] 12 sources
United States elections face surge in AI-generated disinformation
AI-generated disinformation, termed ‘slopaganda’, is flooding US midterm campaigns, with over $137 million spent on 220+ AI ads, predominantly by Republican-aligned groups.

Sources

braunschweiger-zeitung.de · chequeabolivia.bo · citybeat.com · eldia.com.ar · exame.com · ikz-online.de · it-boltwise.de · jornaldebrasilia.com.br · laopinioncoruna.es · lavozhispanact.com · newsday.com · nrz.de · nuevolaredo.tv · ocio.diarioinformacion.com · otz.de · philasun.com · signalcleveland.org · thueringer-allgemeine.de · troyrecord.com · vanguardia.com.mx · wr.de · wtop.com

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history