It’s unclear who’s behind the network or which AI chatbot was used to power it.
Tilde Oyster / NBC News; Getty Images
By Kevin Collier
NBC News
A previously unreported network of hundreds of accounts on X is using artificial intelligence to automatically reply to conservatives with positive messages about people in the Trump administration, researchers say.
But with the MAGA movement split over the administration’s handling of files involving deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the accounts’ messaging has broken, offering contradictory statements on the issue and revealing the AI-fueled nature of the accounts.
The network, tracked for NBC News by both the social media analytics company Alethea and researchers at Clemson University, consists of more than 400 identified bot accounts, though the number could be far larger, the researchers say. Its accounts offer consistent praise for key Trump figures, particularly support for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
As often is the case with bot accounts, those viewed by NBC News tended to have only a few dozen followers, and their posts rarely get many views. But a large audience does not appear to be the point.
A previously unreported network of hundreds of accounts on X is using artificial intelligence to automatically reply to conservatives with positive messages about people in the Trump administration, researchers say.
But with the MAGA movement split over the administration’s handling of files involving deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the accounts’ messaging has broken, offering contradictory statements on the issue and revealing the AI-fueled nature of the accounts.
The network, tracked for NBC News by both the social media analytics company Alethea and researchers at Clemson University, consists of more than 400 identified bot accounts, though the number could be far larger, the researchers say. Its accounts offer consistent praise for key Trump figures, particularly support for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
As often is the case with bot accounts, those viewed by NBC News tended to have only a few dozen followers, and their posts rarely get many views. But a large audience does not appear to be the point.
Their effectiveness, if they have any, is in the hope that they contribute to a partisan echo chamber, and that en masse they can “massage perceptions,” said Darren Linvill, the director of Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub, which studies online disinformation campaigns.
“They’re not really there to get engagement. They’re there to just be occasionally seen in those replies,” Linvill told NBC News.
The researchers declined to share specifics on how they identified the accounts, but noted they shared a number of distinct trends. All were created, seemingly in batches, around three specific days last year. They frequently punctuate their posts with hashtags, often ones that are irrelevant to the conversation. They post almost exclusively by replying to other users, often to people who pay X for verification and by repeating similarly worded sentiments over and over in short succession. At times, they will respond to someone’s post by repeating it back to them verbatim.
It’s unclear who is behind the network, or which of the multiple AI chatbots that are widely accessible to the public was used to power it.
The bots have posted support for conservative figures since 2024, including supporting Trump and other Republicans on the ballot in the lead-up to the election, and then afterward posting that they were excited for Trump to take office. Though they would occasionally mix their messages — some have professed affection for MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, for instance — their messaging was consistently in favor of MAGA figures until the recent Epstein files controversy.
A core constituency of Trump supporters voted for him on the belief that Trump, a former friend of Epstein's, would expose a list of supposed rich and powerful clients and bring justice to Epstein’s victims.
It’s only since earlier this month, when Attorney General Pam Bondi announced she would not release additional Epstein files, that the accounts’ messaging has become so split, with some accounts telling different users opposite opinions almost concurrently.
During the same minute last Saturday morning, for example, one account in the network both cautioned a MAGA supporter from judging Bondi too harshly and told another that Bondi or FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino should resign over the scandal.
“They’re not really there to get engagement. They’re there to just be occasionally seen in those replies,” Linvill told NBC News.
The researchers declined to share specifics on how they identified the accounts, but noted they shared a number of distinct trends. All were created, seemingly in batches, around three specific days last year. They frequently punctuate their posts with hashtags, often ones that are irrelevant to the conversation. They post almost exclusively by replying to other users, often to people who pay X for verification and by repeating similarly worded sentiments over and over in short succession. At times, they will respond to someone’s post by repeating it back to them verbatim.
It’s unclear who is behind the network, or which of the multiple AI chatbots that are widely accessible to the public was used to power it.
The bots have posted support for conservative figures since 2024, including supporting Trump and other Republicans on the ballot in the lead-up to the election, and then afterward posting that they were excited for Trump to take office. Though they would occasionally mix their messages — some have professed affection for MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, for instance — their messaging was consistently in favor of MAGA figures until the recent Epstein files controversy.
A core constituency of Trump supporters voted for him on the belief that Trump, a former friend of Epstein's, would expose a list of supposed rich and powerful clients and bring justice to Epstein’s victims.
It’s only since earlier this month, when Attorney General Pam Bondi announced she would not release additional Epstein files, that the accounts’ messaging has become so split, with some accounts telling different users opposite opinions almost concurrently.
During the same minute last Saturday morning, for example, one account in the network both cautioned a MAGA supporter from judging Bondi too harshly and told another that Bondi or FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino should resign over the scandal.
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6 comments:
First the cost of eggs and avocados. Now the Epstein files. Nothing will come out of the files. The corruption from both parties will be well hidden.
Deportation for the rich and famous? I doubt it. We've adopted Elon as our fav clown.
YOU ARE a rational person. When someone says the moon landings were faked, or that 9/11 was an inside job, you do not conclude that they must be in the know. Why, then, should you pay any attention to Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theories, which have been swirling around since the last year of George W. Bush’s presidency, when Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to procuring a child for prostitution. When everyone in America’s infotainment ecosystem is competing for attention, Epstein content generates more Epstein content until something else comes along to displace it. Ignoring this stuff seems wise. Yet there are reasons why a rational skeptic should spend a few minutes thinking conspiratorially.
Juan, trust your instincts as a reporter. Take risks, do cool projects, have fun. Don’t be a chore to read, ese.
Obama Crapper, Brennan, and Comey under investigation by the FBI.
Have the idiot Demorats in Browntown realized that they are 100% FUCKED? Trump is going to cancel everyone of your bullshit hand out government programs. And starting with BISD. EXCELLENT!
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