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Moldova’s election faces AI-driven disinformation from Russia

Moldovans are facing a wave of AI-driven disinformation ahead of a crucial parliamentary election on Sunday.

CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Moldovans are facing a flood of disinformation driven by artificial intelligence ahead of a critical parliamentary election, which will determine whether the small country can stay on its path toward the European Union or is pulled back into Moscow’s orbit. Reset Tech, a global not-for-profit that monitors digital threats to democracy and Russian online influence operations since 2022, investigated an English-language AI-generated platform Restmedia, which proclaims to be “committed to exposing and addressing the critical issues shaping Europe’s future.” Fugitive pro-Russian Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor, who was convicted of fraud and reportedly lives in exile in Moscow, has been accused of funding a large Russia-backed network of paid political ads on Facebook and YouTube ahead of the election.

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