Brief of the report
Virtual Manipulation Brief 2024/1: Hijacking reality: the increased role of generative AI in Russian propaganda
Osavul has assisted the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in publishing an extensive analysis of the strategic communication challenges and information warfare targeting NATO.
This comprehensive research highlights the narratives and tactics used to damage NATO’s reputation, providing critical insights into the sophisticated manipulation strategies.
Public Feedback
Read what others think about our report:
“This 4th issue shows how widely AI tools are used to amplify campaigns and reduce production and distribution costs. Automated groups using Large Language Models (LLMs) are actively used to generate noise and scrape websites to repost political news content.”
Marie-Doha Besancenot
NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy
“The good news is that Osavul, a portfolio company of SMRK VC, has built an AI that identifies disinformation that Russia uses to interfere in the information space of Ukraine and Western countries. One of the results is a publicly available brief in partnership with NATO.”
Vlad Tislenko
Partner at SMRK VC
Techniques and Impact
The report provides a detailed examination of how AI algorithms are increasingly leveraged to spread false information, underscoring the profound impact of emerging digital tools on both national and international security. It outlines methods for identifying and countering inauthentic behavior, with a focus on detecting bot networks and validating coordinated groups engaged in disinformation. Emphasizing the need for unified communication strategies among NATO members, the analysis also highlights the pivotal role of media in shaping public perception and amplifying narratives, demonstrating how coordinated and technologically enhanced campaigns can influence the security landscape.
More Findings
Narratives Used Against NATO: Analysis of key narratives such as NATO being an aggressor, internal disunity, moral decay, dependency on the US, and perceived ineffectiveness.
Event-Specific Analysis: Examination of how specific events and statements influence narrative spikes.
Cross-Language Integration: Utilizing “search by similarity” to integrate similar messages across different languages and platforms.
CIB: We paid special attention to coordinated groups on social media, identifying bots through inauthentic behavior patterns and validating results with detailed metrics.
Download the full report here.
