UTILIZING GENERATIVE AI TO COUNTER DECEPTIVE MESSAGING

Abstract

In an era where information is both a tool and a battleground, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is emerging as a double-edged sword in the fight against disinformation. As states, such as Russia and China, increasingly integrate GenAI into their disinformation campaigns to sow social discord and undermine public trust in democratic processes, a pivotal question arises: How can the U.S. military leverage GenAI to identify and counter disinformation online, and what are the ethical, legal, and policy considerations? This thesis qualitatively evaluates measures undertaken by Taiwan and Ukraine to counter Chinese and Russian threats surrounding the 2024 Taiwan election and the war in Ukraine, respectively. Results indicate that both democracies exemplify how governmental initiatives, public engagement, and tech collaborations can combat disinformation. Ukraine’s risk-taking in wartime, like using AI for photo attribution and facial recognition, alongside Taiwan’s peacetime strategies for media literacy and disinformation law oversight, offer lessons for the Department of Defense’s (DOD) policy development. A number of policy recommendations follow: 1) sustain the AI Governance Task Force; 2) refine AI Governance within the DOD; 3) develop training; 4) monitor and evaluate, and 5) adopt trustworthy GenAI technologies combined with human-AI teaming to effectively detect and counter disinformation.