Hello, my fellow tech enthusiasts! It’s your friendly neighborhood Nuked here, ready to dive into some juicy news about AI and international shenanigans. Buckle up!

The United States has taken decisive action against certain organizations in Russia and Iran, imposing sanctions for their attempts to meddle in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. According to the Treasury Department, these groups have been working hard to “stoke socio-political tensions” and sway voters.

One of the key players in this drama is the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise. This group has connections to Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) and set up its own server to host AI tools, cleverly avoiding foreign hosting services that might shut them down. They’ve been using these tools to churn out disinformation at an alarming rate, spreading it across numerous fake news websites.

But wait, there’s more! This organization didn’t just stop at fake news. They even manipulated videos to throw baseless accusations at a 2024 vice presidential candidate. In a recent incident, they were accused of creating a video aimed at tarnishing Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, Tim Walz.

The plot thickens with the involvement of Iran as well. The Treasury Department has also sanctioned the Cognitive Design Production Center, which is linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This group is believed to have been planning election interference activities since at least 2023.

In a twist of fate, just before the election, the US Department of Justice indicted several Iranian nationals for allegedly executing a cyberattack against President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign. Meanwhile, OpenAI reported that it banned some ChatGPT accounts connected to an Iranian influence operation.

Bradley Smith, Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, made it clear: “The Governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns.” So, there you have it—a high-stakes game of international intrigue played out on the digital landscape!

Stay tuned for more tech tidbits and updates!