Key facts
- Anthropic disrupted a UAE-directed influence operation using its AI assistant Claude.
- The campaign created approximately 300 inauthentic social media accounts.
- The operation aimed to dismantle the Muslim Brotherhood globally.
- It also sought to shape discourse around the UAE's involvement in the war in Sudan.
- A front NGO was created, copying a real Swiss organization's identity.
- Claude was used to research and profile 18 European parliament members and journalists.
- Dossiers were compiled on UN Special Rapporteurs criticizing the UAE's conduct in Sudan.
- Anthropic linked the operation with high confidence to UAE government officials.
Anthropic, an artificial intelligence company, has identified and disrupted a UAE-directed influence operation that leveraged its AI assistant, Claude, to target the Muslim Brotherhood and critics of the UAE's involvement in the Sudan war. The AI company detailed the operation in its September intelligence threat report.
The operation involved creating a network of approximately 300 inauthentic social media accounts designed to influence public discourse on the Muslim Brotherhood, the conflict in Sudan, and the United Nations' scrutiny of the UAE's role in the war. The actor behind the campaign used Claude to impersonate a real Swiss organization by creating a front NGO and publishing human rights reports under its identity.
Furthermore, the operation ghost-wrote official testimonies intended for delivery by two individuals at the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council. These speeches were specifically crafted to avoid any mention of the UAE, according to Anthropic.
Claude was also employed to research and profile 18 members of the European parliament and prominent journalists. The UAE-directed actor compiled counter-accountability dossiers on UN Special Rapporteurs who had previously criticized the UAE's conduct in Sudan. Anthropic stated that while the operation was designed to be untraceable, its investigation linked it with high confidence to UAE government officials, with senior Emirati officials named as intended recipients of the work.