Federal prosecutors ripped down hundreds of AI-generated phony social media accounts used by Russian operatives to create a “bot farm” that spread lies and pro-Vladimir Putin disinformation in the United States and abroad, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
Many of the electronically-created bots, complete with pictures of smiling clean-cut people, purported to be Americans with names such as “Sue Williamson” and “Ricardo Abbott” who were supposedly taking to social media sites such as X to extoll on Putin’s generosity and virtues.
“Today’s actions represent a first,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Russia intended to use this bot farm to disseminate AI-generated foreign disinformation, scaling their work with the assistance of AI to undermine our partners in Ukraine and influence geopolitical narratives favorable to the Russian government.”
Russia’s Federal Security Service – the successors of the KGB – orchestrated the operation from 2022 through 2024, U.S. court documents say. They created nearly 1,000 X accounts and two websites, according to federal court filings.
U.S. Cyber Command and partners from the Netherlands and Canada joined the FBI in taking down the Russian operation.
The Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The FBI, acting on warrants issued by a federal judge, seized the X accounts and the websites after suspicions were raised about international money laundering and conspiracy, according to affidavits filed in the District of Arizona, where the websites were registered.
X suspended the 968 accounts for violating terms of service. The company could not be reached for comment.