Anthropic says it disrupted UAE-linked AI influence op targeting UN Sudan critics

Anthropic said it detected and disrupted an influence operation it linked "with high confidence" to UAE government officials, in which a single operator used the company's Claude chatbot to target the Muslim Brotherhood and United Nations experts critical of Abu Dhabi's alleged role in Sudan's war.al-monitor+1

The disclosure, part of a 154-page threat intelligence report published on September 10, represents one of the most elaborate state-linked influence operations ever conducted through a commercial AI system.afp+1

The "Deadshot" Operation

The campaign centered on an AI persona known as "Deadshot," guided by a master doctrine calling for "a coordinated transatlantic and regional operation to dismantle the Muslim Brotherhood globally". The operator used Claude to generate reports, advocacy materials, social media content and testimony related to Sudan, running roughly 300 fake social media accounts to amplify the messaging.tag24+3

Among the most striking elements, the operation appropriated the identity of a genuine Swiss human rights organization to publish state-authored reports under its name. Operators also ghost-wrote official testimonies intended for delivery at the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, drafted under restrictions ensuring that neither speech mentioned the UAE. Anthropic said the goal was to ensure "materials serving a party to the Sudan conflict would reach the UN as from independent local witnesses, rather than state messaging".france24+5

The campaign also compiled "counter-accountability dossiers" on UN Special Rapporteurs who had criticized the UAE's conduct in Sudan and developed detailed personal files on 18 European Parliament members and journalists.middleeasteye+1

Sudan's Deepening Crisis

Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, triggering what the UN has called one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. More than 200,000 people have been killed, and millions have been displaced.citizen+1

The UAE has repeatedly denied allegations of supporting the RSF, though last week the UN's independent fact-finding mission said private entities operating from countries including the UAE used transit locations in Chad, Libya and Somalia to facilitate delivery of weapons and logistics to the RSF.france24+1

Unanswered Questions

Anthropic said it banned all accounts tied to the campaign, strengthened safeguards and shared intelligence with partners, but could not confirm whether the testimonies or dossiers reached their intended audiences or influenced policy decisions. The UAE had not responded to a request for comment from AFP as of Friday.middleeasteye+3