October 06, 2026
A.I. Is Lying to You. Here’s How to Fight Back.
This article was originally published in The New York Times.
For months, a foreign agent has been cultivating some of the most powerful figures in the United States in hopes of turning them into unwitting allies. Targeting their weak spots, the foreign agent is feeding them hour after hour of falsehoods. Already the would-be proxies are passing on the foreign propaganda to tens of millions of their followers.
A recent study in the scientific journal Nature showed that A.I. dialogue is roughly four times as persuasive as traditional political ads.
If this sounds like a chapter from another century — think K.G.B. officers swaying unsuspecting fellow travelers in London or New York — it’s actually worse. The spy runner is a Russia-backed network called Portal Kombat that operates hundreds of websites to spread disinformation. The powerful figures it’s seeking to influence? Artificial intelligence-driven large language models such as ChatGPT, Grok and Gemini.
Read the full article in The New York Times.
More from CNAS
-
Technology & National Security
Sharper: Countering Cyber ThreatsAdvanced AI and quantum capabilities are increasing the cyber threat to critical systems, making the development of proper resilience and responses a national security imperat...
By Charles Horn & Cadence Barker
-
Technology & National Security
Spies, Satellites & Startups: Intel in the Digital AgeDr. Anthony Vinci, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and the first Chief Technology Officer and Associate Director for Capabilities at the Nation...
By Anthony Vinci
-
Technology & National Security
Open AI Says AI Must Remain Under Human ControlMichelle Nie Duncan, visiting fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, joins BBC News to discuss AI risks. Watch th...
By Michelle Nie
-
Technology & National Security
The U.S.-Iran Stalemate Explained: How Drones and AI Are Changing WarBetween cheap-to-produce drones and artificial intelligence, the future of warfare may already be here. Paul Scharre, former US Army Ranger and executive vice president of the...
By Paul Scharre