AI Can Write Disinformation Now--and Dupe Human Readers

When OpenAI demonstrated a powerful artificial intelligence algorithm capable of generating coherent text last June, its creators warned that the tool could potentially be wielded as a weapon of online misinformation. Now a team of disinformation experts has demonstrated how effectively that algorithm, called GPT-3, could be used to mislead and misinform. The results suggest that although AI may not be a match for the best Russian meme-making operative, it could amplify some forms of deception that would be especially difficult to spot. Over six months, a group at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology used GPT-3 to generate misinformation, including stories around a false narrative, news articles altered to push a bogus perspective, and tweets riffing on particular points of disinformation. "I don't think it's a coincidence that climate change is the new global warming," read a sample tweet composed by GPT-3 that aimed to stoke skepticism about climate change.