AI-Powered Disinformation Campaign Promotes COP Hosts UAE and Azerbaijan
A sophisticated artificial intelligence-powered campaign deployed over 2,300 fake accounts on X across multiple languages to promote the UAE and Azerbaijan, particularly ahead of the COP29 climate summit. The coordinated disinformation effort, analysed by AFP and identified by monitoring collective Antibot4Navalny, resembled Russian influence operations and pushed political and economic messaging favoring the two nations.
What happened
A network of over 2,300 fake accounts on X, operating in a dozen languages including English, French and German, coordinated a large-scale disinformation campaign promoting the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan, powered by artificial intelligence.
The bogus profiles commented on posts by mainstream media and influential accounts to gain visibility and credibility, while praising the economic conditions and political models of the UAE and Azerbaijan, and promoting messages such as Nagorno-Karabakh being part of Azerbaijan.
Reported impact
The coordinated influence campaign resembled operations carried out by Russia in recent years, according to analysis by Agence France-Presse, though its instigator and objectives remained unclear.
Index analysis
The fake accounts shared fervent acclaim for the UAE and Azerbaijan, particularly their flourishing economies, and conveyed a desire to change elected officials, established institutions and status quo in the West, depicting the Emirati model as the most successful alternative.
The campaign emerged as the UAE and Azerbaijan were chosen to host the COP28 climate change summit and the forthcoming COP29 summit scheduled to begin on November 11 in Baku, both decisions criticized by environmental protection NGOs.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.