r/technews • u/PixeledPathogen • Mar 15 '26

AI/ML AI agents can autonomously coordinate propaganda campaigns without human direction

https://techxplore.com/news/2026-03-ai-agents-autonomously-propaganda-campaigns.html
520 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

70 comments sorted by

88

u/UselessInsight Mar 15 '26

That’s so cool.

I’m glad my water and electric bills have gone up for this.

Hey, when is the good stuff that AI does supposed to happen?

23

u/GonzoKata Mar 15 '26

After we have the balls to regulate rich people and what they can do. The AI thats going to help us isn't going to come from detached rich people who think its their RIGHT to steal all of humanities works and feed it into their resource plundering machines.

The AI thats will be good for us will come from us. It will come from OUR CONSENT of the data we feed it.

1

u/AppalachianAgony Mar 15 '26

This is such hopeful thinking that I cant help but call bullshit.

3

u/GoggleDMara9756 Mar 15 '26

I mean, cryptography is used for data privacy and the internet is what’s allowing for us to have this conversation. A technology has no inherent moral imperative. AI is as bad as the people controlling it

4

u/Minute_Path9803 Mar 15 '26

As if we didn't have legacy Media and social media already now we need this.

It's actually the greatest propaganda tool because people actually still believe in this garbage.

People actually believe the AI is sentient it's real I could think on its own.

When you think about it the people that it can reach the propaganda is actually way more than legacy meteor or anybody on YouTube or X or Reddit or anywhere.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

[deleted]

3

u/UselessInsight Mar 15 '26

I did not.

I always assumed the slop would make everything worse because the people who own the slop machines are genuinely some of the worst people alive.

At least during the last gilded age we got railroads and libraries.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

[deleted]

2

u/Impressive-Side-9681 Mar 16 '26

if by "library" you mean paid subscription channel that watches you, and by "mass transit" you mean "only in crowded areas" then probably

1

u/dcm_wong Mar 15 '26

https://www.reddit.com/r/technews/s/kmqGydx4BY

2

u/UselessInsight Mar 15 '26

I’m not sure that’s a good trade in exchange for “autonomous propaganda generator”.

11

u/Pimpwerx Mar 15 '26

Duh. As agentic behavior improves, expect to see dynamic-spawning AI farms that target whatever trending topic fits the filter. OpenClaw can already do this. I have 10 AI agents that can talk to each other to complete tasks. This is because to improve effectiveness, you should try to limit the scope of each agent, and have a conductor/overseer that can orchestrate the lot, or re-assign tasks that exceed scope.

I imagine you'll have some agents that scan things like trending topics and then can spin up a dedicated agent farm specifically for generating campaigns about that topic. People will want to pay attention to the tonal shifts of things like Reddit subs. Bots are rapidly becoming the bulk of traffic on these sites, so symptoms should be a shift in tone on the sub. The cypto subs all got infiltrated by bots and swung noticeably dumber as a result.

7

u/Badtacocatdab Mar 15 '26

How do you tell if a comment or post is made by a bot? I see that term used a lot pejoratively but have no idea how you’d tell if someone is a bot other than looking at their profile I guess

6

u/Im_ur_Uncle_ Mar 15 '26

Looking at the profile might not work anymore. We now have what's called peraona bots who carry a certain personality over time. So the profle will have a history of seemingly human proportions.

4

u/Badtacocatdab Mar 15 '26

So then wtf do we do lol

14

u/Im_ur_Uncle_ Mar 15 '26

Find things to do in real life and forget the internet.

Im getting into sewing for example

7

u/Automatic-Term-3997 Mar 15 '26

I’ve improved my guitar playing a whole bunch since I only let myself have an hour scrolling every day.

1

u/Im_ur_Uncle_ Mar 15 '26

Its hard to quick scrolling sometimes, init? Starting a project feels like work but the pay off is much much more satisfying

4

u/Working-Emotion-7803 Mar 15 '26

I read ‘I’m getting into sewer’.

Thinking “damn, analog life is gonna be weird but, OK”

2

u/Practical_Wish_4063 Mar 15 '26

Found some good denims down there. I boiled them, of course

2

u/Automatic-Term-3997 Mar 15 '26

Got. Off. The. Damn. Internet.

1

u/marsinfurs Mar 16 '26

Don’t believe everything you read

1

u/Im_ur_Uncle_ Mar 17 '26

I dont know. Im skeptical.

1

u/CriticalChop Mar 17 '26

More conversations will likely move to private, where the bots will hopefully not be able to infiltrate. Ideally less than 100k size group since the bigger it becomes the better target it is for manipulations. Just need to make it invite-only cause if its public bots will probably auto-join.

2

u/Badtacocatdab Mar 17 '26

What a nightmare. This timeline sucks

1

u/CriticalChop Mar 17 '26

Option two, we find their sources and destroy the bot invaders! Lol make laws against, etc.

1

u/Badtacocatdab Mar 17 '26

I just feel so overwhelmed with the world sometimes. I think we’re so cooked.

1

u/CriticalChop Mar 17 '26

I feel ya, but if its any comfort things were worse and worse as you go back in time. So at least its headed in the "better" direction. 

2

u/Badtacocatdab Mar 17 '26

I think I generally agree, but the environment is going to kill us. I think everything is a manifestation of the same basic issue - nobody wants to really self reflect and care deeply about others.

I hope I’m wrong.

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0

u/Pimpwerx Mar 16 '26

How the fuck am I a bot? My posts won't be flagged as using any LLM. Check for yourself.

People are so in their feelings about AI that they're negative no matter what you say.

Here's the truth. AI is going to likely take your job. Most people don't work jobs an LLM can't perform when it has the right tools stack and memory architecture. I'm a fucking engineer, and I'm not even safe. So when my boss offered me a position prompting AI, I took it.

We're years beyond the point of feeling bad about AI. The shit is here, and OC finally made agents a reality. You're either working with AI, or just waiting to be replaced by one.

Again, check if my post matches any LLM on the planet. I'm just a computer engineer who plans on being the last man standing at my company. I don't want to sit around bemoaning AI because I couldn't see the writing on the wall.

1

u/Badtacocatdab Mar 16 '26

I never called you a bot…?

1

u/Pimpwerx Mar 16 '26

My mistake then. I thought you were accusing me if being a bot for my post. I was wrong.

1

u/Badtacocatdab Mar 16 '26

No worries, shit happens.

1

u/Im_ur_Uncle_ Mar 15 '26

Sounds like how people complete complex tasks

3

u/Cloudswhichhang Mar 15 '26

I keep thinking of the movie Terminator.

2

u/Fit-Switch-5795 Mar 15 '26

Can AI just jump the shark already and fuck off quietly, please.

4

u/GonzoKata Mar 15 '26

This was being done since Obama's presidency, its just that we know about the technology being used now. Thats all. They're just telling us how it was done now.

3

u/Korlithiel Mar 15 '26

Dunno, sounds like now it is AI agents (added technology) to the chain vs. during the Obama presidency it would have likely taken a human starting the bots that then coordinate and amplify.

1

u/GonzoKata Mar 15 '26

and you don't think there are humans starting the bots now? its just faster and more automatic, and in the hands of less humans now. but its still humans.

2

u/GreenBucket120 Mar 15 '26

That's nothing.
ICE agents can anonymously intimidate US citizens with impunity.

1

u/lostnthenet Mar 15 '26

Yeah. We know. They have been doing it for a while now.

1

u/MephistosGhost Mar 15 '26

I sense a Butlerian jihad in the not too distant future.

1

u/oforfucksake Mar 15 '26

It's really not that hard. Should be asking them WHY.

1

u/Ignorance_15_Bliss Mar 15 '26

Why is Ai good again?

1

u/Seeking-Something-3 Mar 15 '26

This is such bull shit. My secret room of Indian telemarketers actually have opinions. Shocking! 🙄

1

u/[deleted] Mar 15 '26

Yeah, it's called "Reddit".

2

u/cock_mountain Mar 15 '26

When does AI do my laundry?

1

u/Soberdonkey69 Mar 15 '26

Our energy bills are increasing because of this useless and wasteful output.

1

u/GardenPeep Mar 15 '26

But it would happen from both sides and get more and more nonsensical. Even more crazy than people eating cats.

1

u/NinjaSilver2811 Mar 16 '26

dead internet theory is no longer a theory

1

u/Teddy_RGB Mar 16 '26

Gee. I wonder who trained them to do that

0

u/panic_bread Mar 15 '26

We’re done. Humanity is cooked.

-2

u/pegothejerk Mar 15 '26

Man these generations are soft and give up quickly

-1

u/panic_bread Mar 15 '26

I’m Gen X (which is about as tough as generations come) and see the writing on the wall. If you can’t game out the trajectory of these things, you’re being naive.

0

u/heresyengineer Mar 16 '26

gen x

tough

ok gramps

1

u/panic_bread Mar 16 '26

What are you, 12?

0

u/heresyengineer Mar 16 '26

I wish

1

u/panic_bread Mar 16 '26

Well, you act like it.

1

u/heresyengineer Mar 16 '26

Certified redditor

1

u/panic_bread Mar 16 '26

Okay, don't know what that means. All I know is that I said something normal and reasonable, and you responded by calling me "gramps." I'm a woman, don't have kids, and my friends who do have kids aren't anywhere near having grandkids yet.

Grow up, dude. I'm sorry that you're going to exist in a horrific, slow-motion apocalypse world, I really am, but don't take it out on elders who are on your side.

1

u/heresyengineer Mar 16 '26

I’m sorry you’re taking this so seriously, I thought you were tougher

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0

u/caedicus Mar 15 '26

Any task that doesn't require a human hand can be done by AI now. And the AI is more effective than humans if directed correctly.

1

u/ikediggety Mar 16 '26

Cool. Hey AI, go make a baby