Russia Smeared Harris With Deepfake Video Ahead of US Election, Microsoft Says

Russian trolls are using artificial intelligence, including a deepfake of Vice President Kamala Harris, to try influencing public opinion ahead the US election, according to new research from Microsoft Corp.

The tactics have included deceptive editing, fake posts that seemed to be from credible organizations, and fabricated imagery designed to smear Harris, the Democratic candidate for president. State-controlled media outlets RT and Sputnik have helped spread AI-generated content in the US with limited success, Microsoft said. Russian influence actors used AI to fake audio of Harris speaking about former President Donald Trump at a rally.

Misleading AI-generated content has so far failed to resonate with US audiences, according to Microsoft’s report, prompting Russian disinformation actors to deploy simpler tactics to deceive voters as they prepare to head to the polls on Nov. 5. In this case, the video gained some traction on X after an RT correspondent posted it on the platform in late September, according to Microsoft.

The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence similarly warned on Tuesday that pro-Kremlin propagandists had manufactured and amplified an inauthentic video of Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz. That campaign promoted the baseless claim that Walz had committed sexual assault.

“AI usage will be a small subset of a much wider swath of digital manipulations thrust onto audiences in the final days of the election,” the company said in its report.

The US in September imposed sanctions targeting RT over its role in Russia’s global influence operations. Microsoft previously blamed a Russian propaganda group in connection with a deepfake video that falsely appeared to show violence at the Paris Olympics.

US prosecutors in September also accused Russia of paying prominent social media influencers to promote pro-Kremlin messaging to American audiences.

Microsoft’s report largely mirrors claims made by the US State Department about Russia’s attempts to influence elections abroad, including in Moldova. Russian operatives have largely eschewed AI tools, instead creating fake news sites and television programs to persuade Europeans to support the Kremlin’s positions, said James Rubin, special envoy and coordinator for the US State Department’s Global Engagement Center, where he oversees US efforts to police Russian disinformation in foreign elections.

“Artificial intelligence is a factor, but what’s mostly a factor is old-fashioned media,” Rubin said in an October interview with Bloomberg Government.