A recent NBC News investigation examined a suspected Russian influence operation targeting the Texas Senate race ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. The reporting highlighted how likely AI-generated deepfake videos and coordinated social media activity were used to spread uncorroborated allegations against Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico shortly after early voting began.
Researchers from Alethea, Graphika and Clemson University's Media Forensics Hub investigated the origins and spread of two videos posted on X. All three research teams assessed that the activity was likely connected to Storm-1516, a Russian government-backed influence operation previously associated with similar propaganda campaigns.
Alethea's research identified three large X accounts that posted the same allegation within minutes of one another using nearly identical wording. Clemson researchers also identified a network of 15 bots that immediately shared the videos, providing an initial boost in engagement.
According to NBC News, one post sharing a video reached 1.3 million views before being taken down. X users also added a community note identifying the allegations as uncorroborated and supported only by suspected AI-generated videos from a newly created account.
The findings highlight how suspected foreign influence operations can use fabricated content and coordinated social media activity to spread misleading narratives during critical election periods. They also reinforce the importance of examining patterns of online activity to identify potential coordination behind the spread of disinformation.
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