Russia has a new weapon in the propaganda war against Ukraine: songs generated by artificial intelligence. Hundreds of these – from sentimental ballads to aggressive thrash metal – have appeared on the world’s most popular music streaming platforms, created with the help of an increasing number of music generators based on artificial intelligence, many of them headquartered in the United States, reports The New York Times.
The songs glorify Russian soldiers and dehumanize Ukrainians, sometimes using ethnic slurs. They depict the front lines as a hellish landscape, but generally present President Vladimir V. Putin’s 2022 invasion as a necessary defensive action. One of the most popular tracks, “Power of Artillery”, is a catchy rock anthem, sung in Russian, dedicated to artillery systems with names like Krasnopol and Carnation.
The songs have been posted and listened to millions of times on the world’s most popular streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple, YouTube, and Deezer, according to a study published by Terrecon, a non-profit organization specializing in information about threats in Ukraine, which supports the government there. Technological advances that have transformed the way war is conducted also transform propaganda during wartime.
“They have found new ways to create cheaper drones and use them on a large scale,” said Daria Verbytska, one of the founders of Terrecon, in a phone interview, referring to the Russians. “It’s like in music — massive propaganda is created with the help of artificial intelligence.”
It is not clear to what extent the Russian government contributed to the popularization of these songs, but the Kremlin has made considerable efforts to gain social and cultural support in favor of the war.
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