US intelligence officials are monitoring an ongoing effort by Russia, China, and Iran to target the American electorate ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. In briefings to lawmakers, security agencies reported that Russia is specifically utilizing AI-generated deepfakes and fake celebrity videos as part of its campaign to attack Democratic candidates.
The government’s ability to alert the public has been hindered by budget constraints. Interviews with nearly a dozen election security experts found that cuts to federal programs have impaired the capacity of intelligence officials to communicate these threat warnings to election officials at the local level.
