The Department of Defense has awarded a contract to a New York-based artificial intelligence company Accrete AI to deploy software that can "predict" and counteract "disinformation" on social media platforms in real time.
The company's CEO, Prashant Bhuyan, claims the software will be able to predict and neutralize harmful "viral disinformation."
The U.S. Special Operations Command award alleges to use AI to "predict and neutralize" disinformation, calling into question the software's inability to discriminate the idiosyncrasies of the natural world.
Bhuyan seeks to combat speech from "disgruntled employees," which he says is warranted in the fight of "disinformation."
"Government agencies and enterprises alike have an urgent need to manage a plethora of risks and opportunities posed by AI-generated synthetic media," Bhuyan said. "Companies are already experiencing significant economic damage caused by the spread of AI-generated viral disinformation and deep fakes manufactured by competitors, disgruntled employees, and other types of adversaries.
"We believe that the market for AI that can predict and neutralize malign AI-generated synthetic media is about to explode."
The announcement comes on the heels of the EU rolling out phase one of the landmark Digital Services Act on Aug. 25, which could amount to billions in fines if an online company is noncompliant with its monitoring of speech.
A temporary court order from U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana has restricted U.S. government contact with Big Tech companies amid a lawsuit aimed at addressing allegations of government ties to censorship operations, potentially to silence government dissent.
In Doughty's sweeping preliminary injunction numerous federal agencies were barred from engaging with social media companies, but the Department of Defense was not one of them.
As evidenced by the "Twitter Files," Doughty wrote in his 155-page opinion midsummer, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, a period perhaps best characterized by widespread doubt and uncertainty, the United States government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian 'Ministry of Truth.'"