The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has partnered with Accrete AI, a New York-based company, to combat disinformation threats on social media using artificial intelligence (AI). The company’s software, Argus, is designed to analyze social media data in real-time, identifying emerging narratives and generating intelligence reports to help the military swiftly neutralize disinformation threats.
“Synthetic media, including AI-generated viral narratives, deep fakes, and other harmful social media-based applications of AI, pose a serious threat to US national security and civil society,” said Prashant Bhuyan, founder and CEO of Accrete. He highlighted that social media is an unregulated environment ripe for adversaries to exploit vulnerabilities and manipulate behavior through disinformation.
Accrete’s partnership with USSOCOM reflects the military’s recognition of the need to predict and identify social media narratives at an embryonic stage before they gain traction. This partnership began with the Department of Defense licensing the Argus platform in November 2022.
Accrete also plans to launch an enterprise version of Argus Social later this year, aiming to protect businesses against AI-generated synthetic media, including viral disinformation and deep fakes. The software learns what is most crucial to an enterprise and predicts likely social media narratives before they influence behavior.
According to Bhuyan, both government agencies and enterprises urgently need to manage the risks posed by AI-generated synthetic media. “Companies are already experiencing significant economic damage caused by the spread of AI-generated viral disinformation and deep fakes manufactured by competitors, disgruntled employees, and other types of adversaries,” he said, predicting a surge in the market for AI that can predict and neutralize malign AI-generated synthetic media.
See full article at Defense Post.
Jack McPherrin ([email protected]) is a managing editor of StoppingSocialism.com, research editor for The Heartland Institute, and a research fellow for Heartland's Socialism Research Center. He holds an MA in International Affairs from Loyola University-Chicago, and a dual BA in Economics and History from Boston College.
