AI election interference spurs US sanctions

The United States has imposed sanctions on two organizations in Iran and Russia, accusing them of attempting to interfere in the 2024 presidential election through AI-fueled disinformation campaigns.

Iran’s Cognitive Design Production Center, linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Russia’s Center for Geopolitical Expertise, associated with Russia’s military intelligence agency, stand accused of using artificial intelligence to create deepfake videos, fake news sites, and social media posts to manipulate voters and undermine trust in the US electoral process.

“The governments of Iran and Russia have … sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns,” Bradley T. Smith, the Treasury Department’s acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement on Tuesday. Both Russia and Iran deny the allegations.

In more cyber news, US officials said Monday that Chinese state-linked hackers breached major US agencies including the Treasury Department in early December and major telecoms firms in September. The cyber-espionage campaigns targeted sensitive data and political figures, accessing employee workstations and unclassified documents. Incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz says foreign hackers must face “higher costs and consequences,” but Beijing dismissed the accusations as attempts to “smear and slander China.”