An online propaganda campaign used AI-generated headshots to create fake journalists

A network of fictional journalists, analysts, and political consultants has been used to place opinion pieces favorable to certain Gulf states in a range of media outlets, an investigation from The Daily Beast has revealed. At least 19 fake personas were used to author op-eds published in dozens of mainly conservative publications, with AI-generated headshots of would-be authors used to trick targets into believing the writers were real people. It's not the first time AI has been used in this way, though it's unusual to see machine learning tech deployed for online misinformation in the wild. Last year, a report from The Associated Press found a fake profile on LinkedIn, part of a network of likely spies trying to make connections with professional targets, that also used an AI-generated headshot. AI-generated profile pictures created by sites like ThisPersonDoesNotExist.com have some unique advantages when it comes to building fake online personas.