(PatriotPostNews.com) – Russia is using artificial intelligence (AI) to undermine the 2024 Olympic Games, according to a new report from Microsoft officials.
On Sunday June 2, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) published a report detailing how Russia is using high technology to incite fear of potential “violence breaking out” during the summer Olympics, which will be held in Paris, France. The efforts are reportedly targeting the International Olympic Committee (IOC), with messages promoting “the expectation” of danger at the event.
Russia’s effort reportedly began in June 2023, at which time a fake Netflix documentary by the title “Olympics Has Fallen” was posted on Telegram by Storm-1679, an “influence actor” with ties to Russia. MTAC pointed out in its recent report that this clip showed “more skill” than typically seen in “influence campaigns.”
The video imitated Tom Cruise’s voice via deepfake and AI as well as presented “bogus five-star reviews” from news outlets like The Washington Post and The New York Times. The fake preview was created with “slick” and “computer-generated special effects.”
According to the MTAC report, the purpose of the video was to barrage the IOC after it prohibited Russian teams from competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics—and individuals from participating in the opening ceremonies—back in March. Along with Belarusian athletes, those from Russia are only permitted to compete as “individual neutral athletes” rather than representing their respective countries.
The IOC said at the time that the reasoning behind the exclusion of these national teams was that Russia—strongly supported by Belarus—is “responsible for the war” that continues to be fought in Ukraine, which was invaded by Russian troops in February 2022.
Other acts of intimidation detailed in the report include Russia’s production of fake news, in both articles and videos, that suggest terrorism threats and violence will likely occur in Paris this summer. Many of these hoaxes are attributed to legitimate news outlets.
One such video falsely claimed that 24% of tickets were returned due to “fears of terrorism,” while a fake press release from French intelligence agencies warned people to avoid the Olympics because of alleged anticipated violence.
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