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During the ongoing civil conflict in Sudan, various political and military factions have utilized AI-generated deepfakes to spread disinformation. These include fake audio recordings impersonating U.S. officials and Sudanese leaders, as well as manipulated images and videos intended to incite violence or undermine political opponents. The prevalence of this content has created a 'liar's dividend,' where authentic recordings are dismissed as AI-generated, further destabilizing the information ecosystem in the country.
In April 2023, a reportedly fake audio message impersonating U.S. Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey circulated on Sudanese social media. Reportedly produced using AI voice-cloning tools, the message portrayed the ambassador outlining strategies to impose secularism through U.S. support. Researchers attribute the clip to Islamist-linked networks seeking to undermine Western and civilian influence during the ongoing civil conflict. The message was quickly identified as inauthentic.
Domain classification, causal taxonomy, severity scores, and national security assessments were LLM-classified and may contain errors.
Using AI systems to conduct large-scale disinformation campaigns, malicious surveillance, or targeted and sophisticated automated censorship and propaganda, with the aim of manipulating political processes, public opinion, and behavior.
Also classified as
The widespread use of deepfakes and the resulting liar's dividend have severely degraded trust in all media, polluting the information ecosystem.
The incident involves coordinated campaigns using AI-generated deepfakes to spread political disinformation and influence public opinion at scale during an active conflict.
Human
Due to a decision or action made by humans
Intentional
Due to an expected outcome from pursuing a goal
Post-deployment
Occurring after the AI model has been trained and deployed
The deepfakes and fake audio recordings were intentionally created and spread by human actors to influence public opinion and conduct psychological warfare.
Added categories peak at 4: Severe (Epistemic Harm, Inferred)
The systematic deployment of AI-generated deepfakes by warring factions in Sudan represents a substantial national security threat. By targeting military and foreign leaders, these campaigns conduct effective psychological warfare, disrupt governance, and pollute the information ecosystem. This creates a 'liar's dividend' that severely undermines political accountability and societal stability.
The AI systems were used as tools by human actors to generate synthetic media (images, audio, video) based on direct inputs, without exhibiting autonomous planning or decision-making capabilities.
Limited Risk: The report describes the creation and dissemination of AI-generated deepfakes, which fall under the transparency obligations of the EU AI Act for synthetic content.
The AI systems were primarily used to generate deepfake videos and clone voices to impersonate political and military figures.
The reports provide clear, detailed accounts of multiple specific deepfake incidents in Sudan, their social and political impacts, and the perspectives of local fact-checkers and researchers. The role of AI as a tool for generating synthetic media is explicitly documented.
None
Technology
Inaccurate Detection Tools
Public detection tools often produce false positives and lack transparency.
File Compression Vulnerability
File compression and low resolution heavily degrade detection accuracy.
Imperfect Low-Resource Models
Voice cloning models are less effective on low-resource Sudanese dialects.
Data Inputs
Lack of Sudanese Dialect Data
AI models lack training data for Sudanese dialects, leading to poor quality.
Use of Public Voice Samples
Creators use publicly available voice samples to clone target voices.
Re-used Deepfake Templates
Deepfakes are often re-produced from templates, easing generation.
Human Factors
Public Susceptibility to Fakes
Politicians and public figures easily fall prey and share deepfakes.
The Liars Dividend
Politicians falsely claim real recordings are AI to deny accountability.
Sarcastic Content Creation
Creators make sarcastic fakes that the public mistakes for real news.
Process and Methods
Absence of On-the-Ground Reporting
Lack of local reporting allows online disinformation to spread unchecked.
Lack of Reliable Detection Access
The general public lacks access to advanced deepfake detection tools.
Unchecked Sharing by Media
National TV and journalists share unverified AI recordings.
Management
Poor Policy Enforcement
Social media platforms fail to enforce deepfake policies in Sudan.
Lack of Local Moderators
Platforms lack content moderators who understand the local Sudanese context.
AI system involved
Identified by automated extraction; can differ from the alleged developers above.
