Wednesday, 27 November 2024

Pentagon Using AI Deepfake Internet Users in Military-Grade Psy-Op to ‘Brainwash Americans’


Leaked documents reveal the Pentagon is conducting an information war on American citizens, developing advanced AI to create fake online personas that are virtually indistinguishable from real users, according to a procurement document recently reviewed by the Intercept.

The strategic objective? To manipulate public opinion and control the narrative, advancing the globalist agenda within the U.S.

The Intercept reports that the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is looking for private companies to help create highly realistic deepfake internet users for secret military operations. A 76-page document from the Department of Defense’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) outlines the advanced technology they need.

JSOC is interested in tools that can produce fake online personas that look convincingly human but don’t actually exist. These personas would include various expressions, high-quality ID photos, and realistic images, videos, and audio. The aim is to craft virtual environments that social media algorithms can’t detect, even creating selfie videos of these fake people with matching backgrounds.

This is not the first time the Pentagon has been caught using phony social media users to further its interests. In recent years, Meta and Twitter have removed propaganda networks operated by U.S. Central Command that used faked accounts with generated profile pictures.

The use of deepfake technology, synthesized audiovisual data meant to be indistinguishable from genuine recordings, has been a topic of interest for SOCOM. Last year, the command expressed interest in using video deepfakes for influence operations, digital deception, communication disruption, and disinformation campaigns. The technology behind deepfakes involves AI and machine learning techniques that analyze vast databases of faces and bodies to recognize and recreate human features.

While the United States pursues these technologies, it simultaneously condemns their use by geopolitical foes. National security officials have long described the state-backed use of deepfakes as an urgent threat when done by other countries. Joint statements by the NSA, FBI, and CISA have warned of the growing challenge posed by synthetic media and deepfakes, describing the global proliferation of the technology as a “top risk” for 2023.

Experts argue that there are no legitimate use cases for this technology besides deception, and the U.S. military’s interest in it is concerning. Heidy Khlaaf, chief AI scientist at the AI Now Institute, says that this will only embolden other militaries or adversaries to do the same, leading to a society where it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish truth from fiction.

Read more at the Intercept here.


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