Though the X accounts were automated “bots” rather than actual humans, they were intended to disseminate pro-Russian content.
Court documents released by the US Justice Department on Tuesday reveal that a deputy editor at the Kremlin-owned RT, formerly known as Russia Today, planned the operation.
RT appears to be far more popular on social media than on traditional broadcast channels, even though it operates TV channels in English and a number of other languages.
The Justice Department ordered X to provide information about 968 accounts that they claim are bots, and they also confiscated two websites that were used to send emails linked to the bot accounts.
Court documents claim that the accounts were created by artificial intelligence, which subsequently spread narratives that were favorable to Russia, especially with regard to the situation in Ukraine.
The Russian-sponsored social media bot farm, which was enhanced through the use of generative AI, has experienced its first disruption, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray.
By using this bot farm, Mr. Wray claimed, “Russia intended to use foreign disinformation generated by AI to disseminate it, scaling their work with the assistance of AI to undermine our partners in Ukraine and influence geopolitical narratives favorable to the Russian government.”
