NewsGuard Discovers AI-Driven Site from Lithuania Using AI to Spread Misinformation About U.S. Politics: “What could be better than getting your U.S. news from “reporting” produced by bots in Lithuania? What happened: NewsGuard has discovered a foreign-backed website using AI and fake followers on X to spread misinformation targeting Democrats after President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 race. A closer look: The site, USNewsper.com, which describes itself on its X profile as “your Daily Source for All Things happening in America,” uses AI to produce about a dozen articles a day, many of which contain misinformation about U.S. politics. The site pushes content to multiple social media platforms including X, where its articles are promoted by multiple fake accounts apparently created to amplify its reach.

Recent AI-generated articles have advanced the narrative that Biden’s withdrawal announcement was a hoax.

• For example, in a story published on July 25, 2024, four days after Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, the site published an article claiming that Biden still intended to run for re-election and that Harris has “consistently denied any interest in challenging Biden for the nomination.”
• Actually: Harris announced that she would run for president less than three hours after Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed her.

Bot-written, bot-shared: The people behind USNewsper.com appear to have generated a fake network of supporters on social media in an attempt to boost engagement. Using screen names on X, such as  “Eloise Ellis” and “Tamara Brinkley,” along with profile pictures and posts that show signs of being AI-generated, these users exclusively share and engage with USNewsper.com’s articles…”