Scammers and propagandists around the world are deploying artificial intelligence tools to build fake news sites, often causing readers and viewers to mistake them for genuine sources of information, researchers warn. Generative AI tools offer cheaper and faster ways to produce content, a worrying trend as agents increasingly use it to influence the masses in high-stakes elections around the world.
fictional “psychiatrist”
A fake story created by artificial intelligence and posted on Pakistani digital outlet Global Village Space has gone viral on the internet claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s psychiatrist “committed suicide.”
The article, published in November, said the “psychiatrist” blamed Netanyahu for his death in his suicide note.
NewsGuard, a US research organization that tracks misinformation, later revealed that the site was filled with AI-generated content that had been largely removed from mainstream online sources. After research, the organization discovered significant similarities between the fake article and a fictitious article posted on a satirical website in 2010.
Agence France-Presse quoted NewsGuard analyst McKenzie Sadeghi as saying: “The exponential growth of AI-generated news and information sources is alarming because these sites can be viewed as legitimate and worthy by ordinary users. A trusted source of information.”
used by promoters
In the face of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, a fake article about Netanyahu’s psychiatrist went viral. An Iranian television channel welcomed the announcement and urged viewers to read the full text of “Global Village Space.”
The article was also translated into multiple languages, including Arabic, Farsi and French, and then amplified through multiple accounts on social media platforms.
Some websites even posted obituaries for the fictional “psychiatrist.”
Why is it relevant?
Experts believe that in high-stakes election years, such as those in the United States and India, scammers may use artificial intelligence to spread misinformation.
Agence France-Presse quoted New York University professor Gary Marcus as saying: “Auto-generated misinformation could become a major part of the 2024 election.” “Scammers are using (generative) artificial intelligence left, right and center,” he explain.
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According to NewsGuard, there are at least 739 AI-generated “low hanging news” websites operating with little human oversight and bearing generic names such as “Irish Headlines.”
Analysts believe this would also harm advertisers, as they may be seen as indirectly supporting content that is not based on facts and reality.
(Based on input from each agency)