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As the rest of the world rushes to harness the power of artificial intelligence, militant groups also are experimenting with the technology, even if they aren’t sure exactly what to do with it.For extremist organizations, AI could be a powerful tool for recruiting new members, churning out realistic deepfake images and refining their cyberattacks, national security experts and spy agencies have warned.Someone posting on a pro-Islamic State group website last month urged other IS supporters to make AI part of their operations. “One of the best things about AI is how easy it is to use,” the user wrote in English.“Some intelligence agencies worry that AI will contribute (to) recruiting,” the user continued. “So make their nightmares into reality.”IS, which had seized territory in Iraq and Syria years ago but is now a decentralized alliance of militant groups that share a violent ideology, realized years ago that social media could be a potent tool for recruitment and disinformation, so it’s not surprising that the group is testing out AI, national security experts say.For loose-knit, poorly resourced extremist groups or even an individual bad actor with a web connection AI can be used to pump out propaganda or deepfakes at scale, widening their reach and expanding their influence.“For any adversary, AI really makes it much easier to do things,” said John Laliberte, a former vulnerability researcher at the National Security Agency who is now CEO of cybersecurity firm ClearVector. “With AI, even a small group that doesn’t have a lot of money is still able to make an impact.” How extremist groups are experimenting Militant groups began using AI as soon as programs like ChatGPT became widely accessible. In the years since, they have increasingly used generative AI programs to create realistic-looking photos and video.When strapped to social media algorithms, this fake content can help recruit new believers, confuse or frighten enemies and spread propaganda at a scale unimaginable just a few years ago.Such groups spread fake images two years ago of the Israel-Hamas war depicting bloodied, abandoned babies in bombed-out buildings. The images spurred outrage and polarization while obscuring the war’s actual horrors. Violent groups in the Middle East used the photos to recruit new members, as did antisemitic hate groups in the U.S. and elsewhere.Something similar happened last year after an attack claimed by an IS affiliate killed nearly 140 people at a concert venue in Russia. In the days after the shooting, AI-crafted propaganda videos circulated widely on discussion boards and social media, seeking new recruits.IS also has created deepfake audio recordings of its own leaders reciting scripture and used AI to quickly translate messages into multiple languages, according to researchers at SITE Intelligence Group, a firm that tracks extremist activities and has investigated IS’ evolving use of AI. ‘Aspirational’ for now Such groups lag behind China, Russia or Iran and still view the more sophisticated uses of AI as “aspirational,” according to Marcus Fowler, a former CIA agent who is now CEO at Darktrace Federal, a cybersecurity firm that works with the federal government.But the risks are too high to ignore and are likely to grow as the use of cheap, powerful AI expands, he said.Hackers are already using synthetic audio and video for phishing campaigns, in which they try to impersonate a senior business or government leader to gain access to sensitive networks. They also can use AI to write malicious code or automate some aspects of cyberattacks.More concerning is the possibility that militant groups may try to use AI to help produce biological or chemical weapons, making up for a lack of technical expertise. That risk was included in the Department of Homeland Security’s updated Homeland Threat Assessment, released earlier this year.“ISIS got on Twitter early and found ways to use social media to their advantage,” Fowler said. “They are always looking for the next thing to add to their arsenal.” Countering a growing threat Lawmakers have floated several proposals, saying there’s an urgent need to act.Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said, for instance, that the U.S. must make it easier for AI developers to share information about how their products are being used by bad actors, whether they are extremists, criminal hackers or foreign spies.“It has been obvious since late 2022, with the public release of ChatGPT, that the same fascination and experimentation with generative AI the public has had would also apply to a range of malign actors,” Warner said.During a recent hearing on extremist threats, House lawmakers learned that IS and al-Qaida have held training workshops to help supporters learn to use AI.Legislation that passed the U.S. House last month would require homeland security officials to assess the AI risks posed by such groups each year.Guarding against the malicious use of AI is no different from preparing for more conventional attacks, said Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, the bill’s sponsor.“Our policies and capabilities must keep pace with the threats of tomorrow,” he said. David Klepper, Associated Press
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Since the tragic news broke that director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, have died, tributes have been pouring in. And amid the stories of kindness, compassion, and political action, one story stands out: How the couple’s chance first meeting altered the ending of the 1989 classic When Harry Met Sallypossibly the most beloved romantic comedy of all time. Had the couple not met during filming, the movie’s memorable New Year’s Eve ending might’ve not been a part of the film at all. During production of the iconic rom-com in New York City, photographer Michele Singer Reiner (then Michele Singer) stopped by the set. According to a 1989 New York Times article, the director, who was earlier divorced from Penny Marshall, spotted her and instantly felt moved. I look over and I see this girl, and Whoo! I was attracted immediately, Reiner told the news outlet. The two were introduced by cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld, fell in love, and were married just months after meeting, in the same year the film was ultimately released. Cynical ending becomes more hopeful The meeting didn’t just change Reiner’s own love story, however. It prompted a new ending to the film, ensuring that Harry and Sally’s love would also last forever. “Originally, Harry and Sally didnt get together. But then I met Michele and I thought: OK, I see how this works, he told The Guardian in 2018. After falling in love with Michele, the director, who had been single for many years at the start of filming, scrapped the film’s cynical ending, which had Harry and Sally bumping into each other on the street years after their romance, chatting, and walking off in separate directions. In its place, was the ending we now know and love. It was during the scene that Billy Crystal said to Meg Ryan one of the most quotable lines in the film: “When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start right now!” With a screenplay written by Nora Ephron, the movie went on to become influential in the bourgeoning rom-com genre that dominated the 1990s. A relationship that crossed into film and politics The director and his photographer wife would work together on a number of projects, including Misery and the newly released comedy Spinal Tap II. But their ventures weren’t just creative onesthey were dedicated to making the world a better place and speaking out in the political sphere. Together, they started the I Am Your Child campaign, which urged a focus on early childhood development, and championed a California bill that directed tobacco taxes toward prenatal care and early childhood programs. Reiner also cofounded the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which was instrumental in overturning the ban on same-sex marriage in the state. The director once joked that Michele, who took Donald Trump’s photo for the cover of his book The Art of the Deal, “has a lot to atone for.” But in reality, she was his biggest inspiration, inspiring him to fight for causes he believed in. “I can honestly say the reason I’ve done so many things politically is because of her,” he told Stephen Colbert at the Montclair Film Festival in 2016. She is my Bunsen burner that lights the flame in my ass. The couple remained together until their tragic death on Sunday. The Los Angeles Police Department has said it is investigating their deaths as an “apparent homicide.”
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A leading candidate to be President Donald Trump’s choice for Federal Reserve chair said that he would present the president’s views to Fed officials for their consideration but they could reject them if they chose when making decisions on interest rates.Kevin Hassett, in an interview Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” said he would continue to speak with Trump if he becomes the Fed chair. But when asked if Trump’s opinions on interest rates would have “equal weighting” with members of the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee, Hassett replied, “No, he would have no weight.”“His opinion matters if it’s good, if it’s based on data,” Hassett continued. “And then if you go to the committee and you say, well, the president made this argument and that’s a really sound argument, I think, what do you think? If they reject it, then they’ll vote in a different way.”Hassett’s comments come as Trump is reportedly in final interviews with potential replacements for the Fed’s current chair, Jerome Powell. Trump has emphasized that he expects whomever he nominates to lead the Fed will sharply lower the central bank’s key rate, which currently stands at about 3.6%. Trump has said it should be cut to 1% or lower, a view almost no economist shares. Trump’s outspokenness has raised concerns about the Fed’s independence from day-to-day politics under any chair he appoints.Until Trump’s first election in 2016, presidents of both parties for several decades had avoided commenting publicly on Fed decisions, and usually refrained from doing so privately as well. Economists generally believe that a politically independent Fed is better at combating inflation, because it can take unpopular steps to keep prices down, such as raise interest rates.On Friday, however, Trump said that he “certainly should have a role in talking to whoever the head of the Fed is” about rates.“I’ve done great. I’ve made a lot of money, I’m very successful,” he said. “I think my voice should be heard.”The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Kevin Warsh, a fellow at the right-leaning Hoover Institution and former Fed governor, is Trump’s current favorite to replace Powell, whose term ends next May. But Trump has previously hinted that he would pick Hassett.“I think the two Kevins are great,” Trump told the Journal.Hassett, for his part, on Sunday said that “in the end, the job of the Fed is to be independent.”“In the end, it’s a committee that votes,” he said. “And I’d be happy to talk to the president every day until both of us are dead because it’s so much fun.” Christopher Rugaber, AP Economics Writer
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