Four days after the "ISIS" attack on a concert in Russia last March, a 92-second video was circulated on a special platform belonging to the organization. It showed a news anchor wearing a helmet and military uniform stating that the attack was part of the "natural context of the ongoing war between the organization and the countries fighting Islam," according to a report published in the "Washington Post." The report reveals that the anchor was "fake," created using artificial intelligence through a program called "News Harvest."
According to videos shared by the "SITE Intelligence" group, which tracks terrorist movements online, with the "Washington Post," since March, "News Harvest" has provided semi-weekly video messages about ISIS operations worldwide. Rita Katz, co-founder, stated that the program, which is designed to resemble a news broadcast, is a previously unreported tool representing the emergence of artificial intelligence as a powerful propaganda tool for reconstructing the organization's media operations. Katz noted, "For ISIS, artificial intelligence means changing the rules of the game. This will be a quick way for them to disseminate their bloody attacks to nearly every corner of the world."
The videos start by displaying a logo and title. The AI-generated news anchors appear on screen wearing combat uniforms or blazers, while news tickers show footage of organization members carrying out terrorist acts. The anchors read messages from the organization's official media, including the news and Amaq. The "Washington Post" adds, citing experts in terrorist media, that the videos exhibit early signs of how artificial intelligence is helping terrorist groups to quickly disseminate propaganda and recruit members.
