The Rise of Generative AI and the Coming Era of Social Media Manipulation 3.0: Next-Generation Chinese Astroturfing and Coping with Ubiquitous AI

The article discusses the potential national security threat posed by the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI), particularly large language models (LLMs) and text-to-image models. These technologies can generate human-like text and photorealistic images at scale, which could be used by adversaries to create fake online personas and narratives for social media manipulation. The authors urge the U.S. government and the broader technology and policy community to proactively address this issue. While the focus is on China and its People's Liberation Army, the article notes that the capabilities and threats are also relevant to other actors, such as Russia and Iran, that have previously engaged in social media manipulation.

Key takeaways

The year 2022 is marked as the year of generative artificial intelligence (AI), with the rise of large language models (LLMs) and text-to-image models that can generate realistic but fake content at scale.
The emergence of powerful generative AI poses a potential national security threat, particularly in terms of misuse by U.S. adversaries for social media manipulation.
The authors argue that the U.S. government and the technology and policy community should proactively address this threat.
While the focus is on China and its People's Liberation Army, the capabilities and threats discussed are also relevant to other actors, such as Russia and Iran, that have already engaged in social media manipulation.

The Rise of Generative AI and the Coming Era of Social Media Manipulation 3.0: Next-Generation Chinese Astroturfing and Coping with Ubiquitous AI

Key takeaways

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