AI-Powered Disinformation Swarms Are Coming for Democracy

[Nevilledog]

https://www.wired.com/story/ai-powered-disinformation-swarms-are-coming-for-democracy/

No paywall
https://archive.li/urgZt

IN 2016, HUNDREDS of Russians filed into a modern office building on 55 Savushkina Street in St. Petersburg every day; they were part of the now-infamous troll farm known as the Internet Research Agency. Day and night, seven days a week, these employees would manually comment on news articles, post on Facebook and Twitter, and generally seek to rile up Americans about the then-upcoming presidential election.

When the scheme was finally uncovered, there was widespread media coverage and Senate hearings, and social media platforms made changes in the way they verified users. But in reality, for all the money and resources poured into the IRA, the impact was minimal—certainly compared to that of another Russia-linked campaign that saw Hilary Clinton’s emails leaked just before the election.

A decade on, while the IRA is no more, disinformation campaigns have continued to evolve, including the use of AI technology to create fake websites and deepfake videos. A new paper, published in Science on Thursday, predicts an imminent step-change in how disinformation campaigns will be conducted. Instead of hundreds of employees sitting at desks in St. Petersburg, the paper posits, one person with access to the latest AI tools will be able to command “swarms” of thousands of social media accounts, capable not only of crafting unique posts indistinguishable from human content, but of evolving independently and in real time—all without constant human oversight.

These AI swarms, the researchers believe, could deliver society-wide shifts in viewpoint that not only sway elections but ultimately bring about the end of democracy—unless steps are taken now to prevent it.

“Advances in artificial intelligence offer the prospect of manipulating beliefs and behaviors on a population-wide level,” the report says. “By adaptively mimicking human social dynamics, they threaten democracy.”

*snip*

[highplainsdem]

1. This was all predictable, but AI companies released those tools anyway.

[usonian]

2. How AI Destroys Institutions ( Boston University School of Law)

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220958984

https://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/publications/how-ai-destroys-institutions/

TLDR: In short, current AI systems are a death sentence for civic institutions, and we should treat them as such.

Free paper here:
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5870623

Amazingly long Hacker News discussion:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46705606

How AI Destroys Institutions
Boston Univ. School of Law Research Paper No. 5870623
40 Pages Posted: 8 Dec 2025 Last revised: 21 Jan 2026

Woodrow Hartzog
Boston University School of Law; Stanford Law School Center for Internet and Society

Jessica M. Silbey
Boston University - School of Law

Date Written: December 05, 2025

Abstract

Civic institutions—the rule of law, universities, and a free press—are the backbone of democratic life. They are the mechanisms through which complex societies encourage cooperation and stability, while also adapting to changing circumstances. The real superpower of institutions is their ability to evolve and adapt within a hierarchy of authority and a framework for roles and rules while maintaining legitimacy in the knowledge produced and the actions taken. Purpose-driven institutions built around transparency, cooperation, and accountability empower individuals to take intellectual risks and challenge the status quo. This happens through the machinations of interpersonal relationships within those institutions, which broaden perspectives and strengthen shared commitment to civic goals.

Unfortunately, the affordances of AI systems extinguish these institutional features at every turn. In this essay, we make one simple point: AI systems are built to function in ways that degrade and are likely to destroy our crucial civic institutions. The affordances of AI systems have the effect of eroding expertise, short-circuiting decision-making, and isolating people from each other. These systems are anathema to the kind of evolution, transparency, cooperation, and accountability that give vital institutions their purpose and sustainability. In short, current AI systems are a death sentence for civic institutions, and we should treat them as such.

[SheltieLover]

3. Thx for sharing!

Good to see you again.

[Nevilledog]

4. ...