Built to deceive: How AI is helping uncover fake personas and foreign influence campaigns in America

By Mark Finlayson, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Florida International University ; Azwad Anjum Islam, Ph.D. Student in Computing and Information Sciences, Florida International University

It is not often that cold, hard facts determine what people care most about and what they believe. Instead, it is the power and familiarity of a well-told story that reigns supreme.

Whether it’s a heartfelt anecdote, a personal testimony or a meme echoing familiar cultural narratives, stories tend to stick with us, move us and shape our beliefs.

This characteristic of storytelling is precisely what can make it so dangerous when wielded by the wrong hands. For decades, foreign adversaries have used narrative tactics in efforts to manipulate public opinion in the United States. Social medi