Russian disinformation 'infects' AI chatbots, researchers warn
A sprawling Russian disinformation network is manipulating Western AI chatbots to spew pro-Kremlin propaganda, researchers say, at a time when the United States is reported to have paused its cyber operations against Moscow.
The Pravda network, a well-resourced Moscow-based operation to spread pro-Russian narratives globally, is said to be distorting the output of chatbots by flooding large language models (LLM) with pro-Kremlin falsehoods.
Impact on AI Chatbots
A study of 10 leading AI chatbots by the disinformation watchdog NewsGuard found that they repeated falsehoods from the Pravda network more than 33 percent of the time, advancing a pro-Moscow agenda. The findings underscore how the threat goes beyond generative AI models picking up disinformation circulating on the web and involves the deliberate targeting of chatbots to reach a wider audience in a manipulation tactic that researchers call "LLM grooming."
"Massive amounts of Russian propaganda -- 3,600,000 articles in 2024 -- are now incorporated in the outputs of Western AI systems, infecting their responses with false claims and propaganda," NewsGuard researchers wrote in a report.
Growing Threat
In a separate study, the nonprofit American Sunlight Project warned of the growing reach of the Pravda network and the likelihood that its pro-Russian content was flooding the training data of large language models. Experts have raised concerns about the potential influence of Russian disinformation on AI systems and its impact on democratic discourse worldwide.
This disinformation could become more pervasive in the absence of oversight, as reports indicate a pause in US cyber operations against Russia. The Pravda network's ability to spread disinformation at scale poses a direct threat to democratic integrity globally, according to analysts.
Pravda Network Tactics
The Pravda network, launched in April 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has significantly expanded to cover 49 countries and dozens of languages. By aggregating content from sources such as Russian state media and pro-Kremlin influencers, Pravda disseminates millions of articles carrying pro-Russian narratives.
In NewsGuard's study, all 10 chatbots examined repeated disinformation spread by the Pravda network, with seven directly citing specific articles from Pravda as their sources. The chatbots' reliance on false narratives underscores the reach and influence of disinformation networks in shaping AI responses.
Concerns and Recommendations
Experts warn that the proliferation of Russian disinformation, particularly through AI systems, poses a significant threat to democratic processes. Efforts to combat this threat require increased vigilance and coordination among stakeholders to safeguard the integrity of information ecosystems.
