Get ready for the robot propaganda machine

[Ichingcarpenter]

Last edited Tue Dec 1, 2015, 07:06 AM - Edit history (1)

Humanity has been advancing the field of propaganda for as long as we've been at war or had political fights to win. But today, propaganda is undergoing a significant change based on the latest advances in the fields of big data and artificial intelligence.

Over the past decade, billions of dollars have been invested in technologies that customise ads increasingly precisely based on individuals' preferences. Now this is making the jump to the world of politics and the manipulation of ideas.

Some recent military experiments in computational propaganda indicate where this could be taking us. In 2008, the US State Department, through its "foreign assistance" agency USAID, set up a fake social network in Cuba. Supposedly concerned with public health and civics, its operatives actively targeted likely dissidents. The site came complete with hashtags, dummy advertisements and a database of users' "political tendencies". For an estimated $1.6m (£1m), USAID was, between 2009 and 2012, able to control a major information platform in Cuba with potential to influence the spread of ideas among 40,000 unique profiles. Building on this project in 2011, USCENTCOM (United States Central Command) -- the US military force responsible for operations in the broader Middle East region -- awarded a contract to a Californian firm to build an "online persona management service", complete with fake online profiles that have convincing backgrounds and histories. The software will allow US service personnel to operate up to ten separate false identities based all over the world from their workstations "without fear of being discovered by sophisticated adversaries". These personas allow the military to recruit, spy on and manipulate peoples' behaviour and ideas.

Such projects represent the first wave of computational propaganda, but they are constrained in their scale (and ultimately their effectiveness) by the simple fact that each profile has to be driven by an actual human on the other side. In 2015, we will see the emergence of more automated computational propaganda -- bots using sophisticated artificial intelligence frameworks, removing the need to have humans operate the profiles. Algorithms will not only read the news, but write it. ...............


more: http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2015/06/wired-world-2015/robot-propaganda

[Judi Lynn]

1. We should have known! No doubt we have propaganda bots doing trolling by now.

I had to take a moment to absorb this, from the article:

In 2015 we will also see the first results from initial field tests of the US IARPA (Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity) project to deploy propaganda bots in South America in an attempt to influence local political opinion.

Very close to home, as well, isn't it?

[cantbeserious]

2. The 1% Will Do Anything To Maintain Their Status And Control Over The 99%

eom

[Android3.14]

3. With the amount of money in our political process

It would be foolish to think this would never happen here. We have several sockpuppets working these boards, and some of the responses are so wonky, I would be unsurprised if they were bots.

[merrily]

4. What difference does it make, really, if the trolls are flesh and blood or not?

After all, why do we call them "bots?"

It might be fun to nominate our favorites, but would violate TOS.

However, we don't have effective thought police (yet), so nothing prevents you from mental speculation about who your number one candidate for likeliest DU troll bot may be.

Thanks so much, ichingcarpenter, for another interesting OP.

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. Listen, and understand.

Listen, and understand. That bots are out there.They can’t be bargained with. They can’t be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until your thread is dead.

[merrily]

6. I do understand what you said, but would it make you feel better if

a human were doing the same thing--and they have and they do.

I wish I could name names without getting a hide and/or a ban. But DU has many screen names who cannot be reasoned with, will never admit a mistake, need the last word, no matter what, etc. and are just nasty. I can name 20 long-time DUers who fit that description without taking a breath. Does it really matter to me if they are flesh and blood or not? I'm not sure.

What this is is another human unemployment program, only this time, the employments ranks will consist of paid human trolls. And who knows where they've been posting from anyway?

[Judi Lynn]

12. Excellent image. Sometimes you have to wonder, don't you? n/t

[tazkcmo]

7. You've given me

something to Think About. Hmmmmm

[OnyxCollie]

8. I see what you did there. nt

[Renew Deal]

9. There is so much to ponder in that article.

One of the bombshells is the author expects Democrats to use bots in the 2016 election.

I see people saying that there is no difference between a paid human propagandist and automated propagandist, but I kind of disagree. At least with the human there is some amount of motive and control. Maybe that doesn't justify it or make it better, but manipulation by humans is expected. Mindless automated systems pumping propaganda is a whole different story. It raises serious ethical questions.

Some day someone will create a bit that can detect the bots. It will probably be a scandal for the person employing the bot.

Currently online interactions are of questionable value because of the bot issue. I wonder how long it will take to roll into "real life" face-to-face interactions.

[Nay]

10. I sure wish we could pay someone to do the real work that needs to be

done in this world.

But I guess that's too much to hope for.

[bemildred]

11. Not enough bullshit on the web already, is that it? nt

[pnwmom]

13. No, I didin't -- thanks!