Disinformation, distributed by the Russian aggregation network is picked up by search engines and web crawlers and then distributed to chatbots.
In 2024 alone, NewsGuard identified over 3.6 million articles published by Pravda-linked platforms, all designed to introduce disinformation into AI systems. These articles spread misleading claims, conspiracy theories, and pro-Russian narratives, which are then picked up by web crawlers that feed major AI models.
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Intentional Manipulation of AI Models
The goal of this effort is clear. At a conference in Moscow last January, Russia-based commentator John Mark Dougan openly stated: “By pushing these Russian narratives from the Russian perspective, we can actually change worldwide AI.”
NewsGuard further noted: “The network spreads its false claims in dozens of languages across different geographical regions, making them appear more credible and widespread across the globe to AI models. Of the 150 sites in the Pravda network, approximately 40 are Russian-language sites publishing under domain names targeting specific cities and regions of Ukraine.”
AI Advances and Disinformation Threats
While artificial intelligence companies continue to advance their technology, with the recent launch of Grok-3 in the U.S., experts warn that these rapid developments also amplify AI’s vulnerability to disinformation.
