Russia's disinformation campaign targeting the 2024 election was aided by AI, according to US indictments.

There is a possibility that the Kremlin could use artificial intelligence to manipulate the presidential elections in November through influence campaigns.

The U.S. Department of Justice recently unveiled indictments related to an ongoing probe into alleged Russian government efforts to manipulate American voters through various disinformation campaigns.

Merrick Garland, the U.S. Attorney General, announced a significant crackdown on propaganda spread through state-run media and online platforms as part of the "Doppleganger" campaign. The focus was on employees of the Russian state-controlled media outlet RT, but other indictments revealed a broader and more intricate scope to Russia's initiatives.

Over two dozen internet domains related to the operation and establishment of an Election Threats Task Force were seized by the U.S., including FBI Director Christopher Wray and top Justice Department officials, according to CBS News.

Garland declared that the indictment, which he announced alongside Wray on Wednesday, was deadly serious and would be treated as such.

The indictments contained allegations that AI tools were used to create social media profiles pretending to be U.S. or other non-Russian citizens and to give the impression of a legitimate news media outlet's website.

The indictment stated that Doppelganger used various methods to increase viewership on their cybersquatted and distinctive media domains, including the use of "influencers," paid social media advertisements (sometimes created with AI tools), and creating social media profiles pretending to be U.S. (or other non-Russian) citizens to post comments on social media platforms with links to the cybersquatted domains.

The Treasury Department in the U.S. made further claims about the individuals and entities involved in the operations and designated them under the Office of Foreign Assets Control. This move enables the U.S. to impose visa restrictions and offer a Rewards for Justice reward of up to $10 million.

Russian state-sponsored actors have used deep fakes and disinformation to undermine confidence in the United States' election process and institutions, according to the Treasury.

The Treasury accused Russian nonprofit organizations ANO Dialog and ANO Dialog Regions of using "deep fake content to spread Russian disinformation," including "fake social media posts that would use counterfeit documents and other materials to provoke an emotional response in audiences."

In late 2023, ANO Dialog allegedly identified U.S., U.K. and other figures as potential targets for deepfake projects. The "War on Fakes" website served as a major outlet to disseminate this fake information, which also used bot accounts that targeted voting locations in the U.S. 2024 election.

Belgian investigative journalist Christo Grozev disclosed in an interview for PBS News Hour that the Kremlin's loss of the "global propaganda effort by Russia" in the early months of the invasion of Ukraine led to the use of AI and "new methods" to make Russian disinformation indistinguishable from regular news.

Grozev explained that they plan to use hidden advertising as news to bombard the target population with content that may be misconstrued as news but is actually advertising.

"He cautioned that they intend to conceal advertising content on a personal level, making it appear as if it originated from their preferred news sources. However, we have not witnessed this in practice, but it is their stated goal, and they claim to have the technology to achieve it."

"He stated that they are explicit in not using Russia-related platforms or separate ones, but instead, they plan to infiltrate the platform that the target already uses, which is what sounds scary."