U. S. intelligence officials announced on Monday that Russia is the leading foreign player using artificial intelligence (AI) to create content aimed at influencing the 2024 presidential election. This advanced technology allows Russia and Iran to rapidly produce and customize polarizing material to impact U. S. voters effectively. An official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) described AI as a "malign influence accelerant, " facilitating information operations rather than being a revolutionary tool on its own. Previously observed in international elections, the use of AI in content creation is now also a reality in the U. S. Russian operations have produced synthetic media—images, videos, audio, and text—targeting notable American figures and divisive issues like immigration, with intentions to promote former President Donald Trump while undermining Vice President Kamala Harris. For example, they distributed a manipulated video featuring a false claim of a hit-and-run incident involving Harris.

Additionally, videos of her speeches were altered to portray her unfavorably compared to her opponents. Iran has similarly utilized AI to craft social media posts and create fabricated news articles, aiming to discredit Trump during the election, and addresses contentious topics including the Gaza conflict and presidential candidates. Their AI-generated content is produced in both English and Spanish. China, the third significant foreign influence on U. S. elections, is employing AI in its broader operations to shape global perceptions and amplify divisive issues within the U. S. Despite these threats, no AI-driven efforts to directly affect voting outcomes have yet been identified. Most concerns revolve around the potential for deepfake technology to mislead voters. Observers note that foreign adversaries have not yet effectively navigated the challenges of generating impactful AI content, which include overcoming AI safeguards, developing sophisticated models, and strategically distributing their work. As the election approaches, the intelligence community plans to closely monitor for foreign attempts to introduce misleading or AI-generated material, potentially using prominent figures or fake accounts to amplify their reach.