The Threat of Digital Foreign Interference

The paper then turns to a discussion of how AI will change the nature, use, and utility of DFI in the coming years and decades. [...] Later, in 2017, on the heels of a string of deadly terrorist attacks in London and Manchester per- petrated by supporters of the Islamic State, Russian-based social media content was again used to spin the attacks in a way that could inflame anti-migrant and anti-Muslim sentiment in the UK and Europe more broadly. [...] A key takeaway from the Macron Leaks is that while the initial cyberattack was most likely or- chestrated by a foreign power – i.e., Russia – the actual DFI campaign itself and the spreading of misinformation were carried out by a consortium of French and foreign groups and individuals. [...] The resulting speeches ranged from the familiar and diplomatically mundane – “Climate change continues to be a major concern of all world leaders, and the Government of Mali reiterates its call for the UN to urgently adopt a series of measures …” – to the hateful and in- flammatory – “Refugees are terrorists and are taking the lives of their citizens. [...] Of greatest concern, however, is the fact that just as DFI encompasses more than text or written material, and includes the use of images and videos, the future of AI-generated misinformation and disinformation will also extend to these media formats.