AI-Political Influencers: the New Gods of Propaganda and Disinformation? - edmo.eu

An AI-generated persona has been used to promote extremist views online. The case highlights the potential for AI to create synthetic influencers who are always perfectly aligned with their message, raising concerns about the spread of disinformation.

What happened

In Britain, an AI-generated character named Danny Bones was created by The Node Project and funded by the extremist group Advance UK. Danny Bones, a far-right, anti-immigration rapper, amassed followers online through racist and incendiary content. He was featured at the far-right Unite the Kingdom rally in London on May 16. Some followers are unaware that Danny Bones is AI-generated, while others do not care, believing the message is more important than the messenger. Unlike human figures, AI personas like Danny Bones will never deviate from their message, be caught in compromising situations, or change their views over time. They can be everywhere at once, comment on every issue, and hold thousands of personalized conversations simultaneously, making them highly effective at spreading propaganda.