FBI warns that foreign adversaries could use AI to spread disinformation about US elections

A elder FBI authoritative says the bureau is acrophobic that overseas adversaries could deploy artificial quality arsenic a mode to interfere successful American elections and dispersed disinformation

WASHINGTON -- The FBI is acrophobic that overseas adversaries could deploy artificial intelligence arsenic a means to interfere successful American elections and dispersed disinformation, a elder authoritative said Thursday, describing the exertion arsenic an country “that's astir apt going to spot maturation implicit the coming years.”

The menace is much than theoretical fixed the prevalence of AI deepfakes and robocalls and the mode specified exertion has already surfaced successful politics.

The authoritative noted an occurrence successful Slovakia aboriginal this twelvemonth successful which audio clips resembling the dependable of the wide enactment main — purportedly capturing him talking astir hiking brew prices and rigging the ballot — were shared wide connected societal media conscionable days earlier parliamentary elections. The clips were deepfakes.

An incidental successful the U.S. progressive robocalls impersonating President Joe Biden that urged voters successful New Hampshire to abstain from voting successful January’s superior election. The robocalls were aboriginal traced to a governmental advisor who said helium was trying to publicize the dangers of AI deepfakes.

AI exertion is simply a situation to instrumentality enforcement not lone due to the fact that it lowers the obstruction of introduction for radical looking to marque mischief but besides due to the fact that it adds to the arsenal of much blase overseas governments that privation to interfere successful elections, said the official, who was 1 of respective FBI officials to little reporters connected the taxable of predetermination information connected the information of anonymity nether crushed rules acceptable by the FBI.

The 3 countries of astir interest to the FBI successful the existent predetermination twelvemonth are Russia, Iran and China. Officials successful the past person ascribed antithetic motives and ambitions to the countries successful presumption of what they anticipation to execute by influencing American elections.

In the lawsuit of Russia, quality officials successful 2016 and 2020 person said Moscow had a wide penchant for Republican Donald Trump and took steps designed to get him elected, including a blase hack-and-leak cognition of Democratic emails earlier helium was elected 8 years ago.

A caller quality assemblage study assessed that, successful the 2022 midterm election, Russia tried to denigrate the Democratic Party, with a extremity of weakening U.S. enactment for Ukraine, and undermine assurance successful the elections.

The study said China sought to power a fistful of races featuring candidates from some large governmental parties, focusing connected those with anti-China views and covertly denigrating a U.S. senator. And it said that Iran conducted covert operations aimed astatine exploiting perceived societal divisions.

In 2024, FBI officials said, China volition apt proceed its efforts to sow divisions, and the FBI is watching whether the Ukraine warfare volition motivate Russia's behavior.