Pentagon seeks AI deepfake profiles for online influence operations
The Pentagon's Special Operations Command publicly sought technology to generate deepfake internet profiles—complete with AI-generated faces, videos and audio—for use in online influence operations. The system would be designed to evade human detection and social media algorithms, building on the Pentagon's previous use of fake social media accounts for propaganda campaigns.
What happened
The Pentagon's Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) published a procurement document seeking companies to help create deepfake internet users that are indistinguishable from real people. According to The Intercept's review of the 76-page wish list, JSOC wants the ability to generate online personas for social media platforms featuring fabricated faces with 'Government Identification quality photos,' facial and background video, audio layers, and fake selfie videos set in synthetic environments designed to evade social media detection algorithms.
The request specifies technologies similar to StyleGAN, the Nvidia tool released in 2019 that can generate synthetic faces. JSOC aims to create deepfake profiles that 'appear to be a unique individual that is recognizable as human but does not exist in the real world.' The document indicates these fake personas would be used for unspecified online operations by Special Operations Forces.
Reported impact
The Pentagon has previously deployed similar tactics. In 2022, Meta and Twitter removed propaganda networks using faked accounts operated by U.S. Central Command with AI-generated profile pictures. A 2024 Reuters investigation revealed that Special Operations Command used fake social media accounts to undermine foreign confidence in China's Covid vaccine.
Index analysis
JSOC's interest in deepfake generation technology represents an escalation in synthetic media capabilities for influence operations. The procurement seeks tools undetectable by social media algorithms and humans, enabling sophisticated coordinated inauthentic behavior at scale.
Governance controls
No governance controls are mentioned in the procurement document. The document indicates JSOC is actively seeking external companies to develop this capability, suggesting the technology does not yet exist in the form specified.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.