In a groundbreaking development in influencing elections, Russian operatives set up a dedicated artificial intelligence server in Moscow to avoid international scrutiny, as revealed by U.S. Treasury Department sanctions announced on December 31. This technical infrastructure, located in an apartment funded by the GRU, signifies a significant advancement in foreign disinformation capabilities.
The Center for Geopolitical Expertise (CGE) in Moscow, working under GRU oversight, created an AI infrastructure specifically designed to evade Western detection. Treasury officials state that the organization purposefully avoided foreign web-hosting services that could potentially block their activities, choosing instead to establish and maintain their own server for producing disinformation.
“The Governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns,” said Acting Under Secretary Bradley T. Smith, who oversees the Treasury’s terrorism and financial intelligence operations.
The Treasury’s investigation uncovered a sophisticated operation where CGE employees utilized generative AI tools to quickly generate disinformation aimed at the 2024 presidential election. This content was then disseminated across a wide network of websites – around 100 in total – designed to look like legitimate news sources. This approach created false connections between stories while concealing their Russian origin.
The financial backing for the operation sheds light on its extent. The GRU funded three main components:
- Building and maintaining the AI server
- Running the website network
- Renting the apartment that housed the server infrastructure
CGE Director Valery Mikhaylovich Korovin was instrumental in coordinating these financial transactions from the GRU to employees and facilitators in the U.S., according to Treasury documents.
In a specific case outlined in the sanctions, the organization manipulated video content to spread false allegations against a 2024 vice presidential candidate, although the Treasury did not provide details on the nature of these claims.
The development of private AI infrastructure for disinformation purposes marks a new phase in election interference tactics. By creating their own generative AI capabilities, Russian operatives established a closed system that could operate independently of the content moderation and oversight typically found in commercial AI platforms.
This technical advancement is part of Moscow’s broader adaptation of its influence strategies, according to Treasury officials. The Kremlin has built “a vast ecosystem of Russian proxy websites, fake online personas, and front organizations” to appear unconnected to Russian state influence.
The sanctions target CGE, Director Korovin, and associated assets under multiple authorities, including Executive Order 13848 on election interference and Executive Order 14024 on Russian malign activities. These designations freeze their U.S.-based assets and prohibit Americans from engaging in transactions with them.
The use of generative AI for election interference introduces a new aspect to concerns about AI’s role in disinformation campaigns. While previous operations relied mainly on human-generated content and traditional cyber tactics, the incorporation of AI tools indicates that foreign actors are quickly adapting to exploit emerging technologies for political influence.
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