Russian Bots Inflate Views on Fake US Midterm Videos, Bloomberg Reports
Bloomberg reports that Russian disinformation operators are using bots to inflate view counts on AI-fabricated videos attacking Democratic candidates ahead of the U.S. midterms. Videos featuring celebrities including Taylor Swift, Julia Roberts, Robert De Niro and Cher appeared on X starting in early September, with some promoting #AllDemocratsAreCriminals.
According to Bloomberg, AI-fabricated video clips of well-known actors and musicians, including Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts, Cher and Taylor Swift, attacking Democrats began appearing on X in early September. Some of the clips urged people to join a campaign called #AllDemocratsAreCriminals. Scores of other clips made false allegations of corruption and improprieties by Democratic candidates.
Bloomberg reported that Russian disinformation operators are using the bots to push the fake videos. In a Bloomberg segment, Stephanie Baker explained that the operators are deploying an army of bots ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, and that fake videos of celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Julia Roberts attacking Democratic candidates have started appearing on X.
The reports describe an effort that combines AI-generated clips with automated accounts to amplify fictitious posts about celebrities and Democratic candidates. The posts and videos appeared on X, according to Bloomberg, and the bots were used to inflate their view counts. Bloomberg did not provide further details about the scale of the operation.