Russian Disinfo Network Infiltrates Western AI Chatbots
A Moscow-based disinformation network called "Pravda" (Russian for "truth") is infiltrating AI chatbots' data, injecting false claims and propaganda to manipulate their responses to news. By flooding search results with pro-Kremlin falsehoods, the network distorts how large language models process information. This resulted in millions of articles of Russian propaganda being incorporated into Western AI systems, infecting their outputs. NewsGuard's audit of 10 leading AI chatbots revealed they repeated false narratives from the Pravda network 33% of the time. The network doesn't create original content but acts as a laundering machine for Kremlin propaganda, aggregating it across numerous seemingly independent websites. This large-scale operation highlights the vulnerability of AI models to disinformation campaigns.