Officials warn of gaps in election intel sharing as AI eases foreign influence

Ahead of the US midterms, cooperation between federal agencies, states and tech companies on tracking foreign influence has weakened. The Trump administration dismantled several counter-influence programs, while AI makes producing and spreading deceptive messages cheaper and easier.

• States receive fewer election-specific federal briefings than in previous cycles
• CISA election disinformation work, the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force and a State Department office were shut down
• AI lets foreign operators generate plausible messages and autonomously adjust campaigns
• Information-sharing with tech companies has been absent for about two years