February 7, 2024 - 1:00pm
According to a new report released by Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, the Biden administration is pouring taxpayer money into a National Science Foundation programme called Track F, to deal with what the White House considers misinformation and disinformation.
Under Track F, the federal government is funnelling tens of millions of dollars to elite universities for the study of AI-related misinformation and the development of potential solutions. The NSF provided $38 million in misinformation-related funding from the start of Joe Biden’s presidency through to the end of 2022. Now, the programme is injecting an extra $13 million specifically for AI-related issues.
On its face, this might seem like a good thing considering we’re on the cusp of a tidal wave of AI-generated information. However, the details of the programme should ring alarm bells. For example, according to the House Judiciary report, those with “vulnerabilities to disinformation methods” just happen to consist of core parts of the voting base of Biden’s political adversaries, including conservatives and veterans.
The question of who controls AI is the fulcrum of a massive pendulum of shifting power. Big Tech companies with the resources needed to build multi-billion-dollar AI models have become adept at trading their support of new Government regulations for a hand in crafting them.
With Track F, the research funding for universities is only the top of the funnel. Once tools and policies have been crafted, they will presumably be deployed where they matter most: with Big Tech companies whose various information streams — search engines, social networks, and even protocols like email — make up the majority of the information people consume each day.
Track F’s own programme manager, Michael Pozmantier, tacitly acknowledged its sensitivity. In 2023, following a report by the Daily Caller News Foundation on Track F which linked to some of the programme’s videos, Pozmantier emailed participants saying he was “going to see about pulling [the videos] down or locking the page ASAP.” According to the House Judiciary report, a Track F PowerPoint presentation included a note to discuss the “difficult responsibility of censorship” carried by those involved.
This calls to mind Track F’s first disastrous foray into information control, the Disinformation Governance Board led by a disinformation researcher who publicly claimed that the Hunter Biden laptop story was a “Trump campaign product”. However, the administration seems to have learnt its lesson, this time taking a more deft approach by putting distance between itself and the levers of control — and leveraging the veneer of objectivity associated with scientific institutions.
Nevertheless, this is a strange moment to hand responsibility for the creation of tools that will, effectively, enable mass control of information to elite academic institutions. During congressional testimony in December, the president of MIT — one of the most prominent institutional participants in Track F — refused to say that calls for genocide against Jews constitute campus harassment. The two other university presidents in the hearings who made similar refusals, Harvard’s Claudine Gay and University of Pennsylvania’s Liz Magill, were asked to step down. The federal government subsequently launched investigations into the avalanche of hate on elite campuses.
But given that 2024 is a critically important election year, the timing might be just right. In 2016, the Biden campaign scored a major victory when Twitter censored the New York Post’s bombshell story on Hunter Biden laptop just days before the election. The effects of that censorship — complete with dozens of intelligence community figures signing a letter falsely claiming the story was “Russian disinformation” — were profound.
Effective as it was, that was a single quashed story, one that likely took countless hours and untold amounts of political capital to pull off. With top-level control of self-learning machines that have the ability to make, distribute, measure and fine-tune information streams, the power to sway elections, move markets, and shape widespread belief is unlike anything we’ve seen before. In that regard, the few tens of millions used to fund Track F constitute nothing short of the political bargain of the century.
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Subscribe‘This calls to mind Track F’s first disastrous foray into information control, the Disinformation Governance Board led by a disinformation researcher who publicly claimed that the Hunter Biden laptop story was a “Trump campaign product”. ‘
That was not a disaster! The system is funded, designed and built to produce a product which damages political opponents.
The author should declare his interest in keeping the misinformation mill running.
Can you explain this further?
His comment could have been posted by any of the legions of DNC social media parrots working 24/7 in warrens of cubicles.
The author has identified himself. How about coming out from behind a pseudonym and having the courage of your erstwhile convictions?
They’re really less mills and more foundries.
Come on then, point out what’s untrue. Or are you saying the author is actually part of the left wing media machine. It’s not clear.
Under Track F, the federal government is funnelling tens of millions of dollars to elite universities for the study of AI-related misinformation and the development of potential solutions.
Eisenhower warned about this, the reliance of research on govt funding, during the same speech in which he warned of the growing military-industrial complex. He was right on both counts, but very few people are aware of the research side of the speech. The “solution” that this govt wants is the ability to control information, same as any other authoritarian wants.
FDR famously told America that “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”.
Biden has no message for America other than fear. He can’t run on his own record, it’s been a series of disasters. He can’t even run on how disastrous Trump’s presidential record is, because it wasn’t.
All he has is fear. Fear of Trump ending democracy. Fear of MAGA extremists, white supremacists and the end of the Union. Fear that “Misinformation” might lead sane Americans into doing something as mad as voting for Trump.
Biden has a loyal band of increasingly shrill supporters in the shape of cable news anchors and the harpy hosts of The View, who screech this message of fear, and pump out their own brand of obvious – yet officially sanctioned – misinformation. But plenty of people look back on Trump’s time in office and compare it to now, and see the MSM’s fearmongering for what it is.
Tellingly, there have been a few serious people – previously never-Trumpers – who have dared publicly to re-evaluate Trump’s record and admit that he got a lot of the major calls right. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase and (formerly) a big Democrat donor, sat with CNBC’s meerkat presenters at Davos and went against the narrative to tell them this:
Even Bret Stephens, NY Times columnist and virulent Never-Trumper, wrote a piece last week titled, “The case for Trump – by someone who wants him to lose” for which, to no one’s surpise, he has been torched by the NYT faithful for interrupting their daily two-minutes-hate session. The article is behind a paywall on NYT but was reprinted here (https://www.afr.com/world/central-america/the-case-for-trump-by-someone-who-wants-him-to-lose-20240113-p5ex07 …. … It’s worth a read.
But in the main we are going to have our news brought to us by the same people who gave us the Russia Collusion hoax and suppressed the entirely genuine story of Hunter Biden’s laptop – all while complaining that it is their opponents who are guilty of mis-information.
The only reason media manipulation is so effective is because there are plenty of people willing to be outraged, they seem almost to want to be herded into fits of choreographed indignation.
What are you talking about? Trump is the only president to ever see a net job loss during his term. He blew up the national debt. He created endless chaos. He had no respect for the Constitution or the rule of law. Under Biden we have historically low unemployment, the strongest economy (and fastest economic recovery) in the world. In addition, he’s fought a proxy war with the Russians that has handicapped their economy and their military without sacrificing a single American soldier. Sure Trump was right that the Europeans don’t pay their fair share for NATO. Obama said the same thing. Have we had any American presidents who haven’t complained about this?
I’m no Trump supporter – I recognise many of his achievements in office but think his temperament was wildly ill-suited to be President. But if it came down to Trump vs Biden, then there’s no doubt in my mind that the US – indeed the West in general – would be better served with Trump in the White House than to have Biden dodder along – particularly with a cackling, diversity-hire nitwit only a heartbeat away from power.
Look at the biggest issues facing the West currently and trace their origin. Any dispassionate observer should admit it wasn’t Trump.
The disastrous exit from Afghanistan projected weakness to the world. Emboldening the enemies of the West. That’s all on Biden. His cosying up to China, and his weakness in the face of Chinese aggression has merely encouraged them to push harder. Can anyone imagine Trump allowing a Chinese spy balloon to drift across the US for one moment longer than it took to shoot down?
It’s not a coincidence that Putin invaded Crimea with Obama in the WH because he knew that Obama wouldn’t react. The media always praised Obama’s rhetoric, but Putin saw his statesman-like inaction for what it really was. Putin saw similar weakness in Biden, whose extraordinary comments that NATO would react differently to a “Minor Incursion” into Ukraine, practically green-lit the invasion. Imagine the media furore if any other President had signalled such weakness to Russia?
During Trump’s term in office Putin was quiet as a mouse. North Korea backed down as well. Contrast that with Obama’s “wait and see” policy – that did just that, as we waited, and saw N Korea become a Nuclear state.
Obama and Biden both cosied up to Iran, who took full advantage. Since Biden took office and relaxed Trump’s sanctions on Iran, the Mullahs have received $40 billion. Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis have been funded thanks to the Biden regime. Not to mention that analysts have suggested that Hamas M4 rifles recovered from Gaza were part of the billions of dollars worth of munitions left behind in Kabul.
Joe’s Green Agenda has completely undermined America’s energy security and been the reason for the drastic hike in US gas prices – one of the biggest contributory factors for the inflation spiral. Under Trump the US was entirely energy self-sufficient and receiving huge revenues from selling the excess.
Biden, on the other hand, having snubbed the Saudis and flirted with Iran, then had to go cap in hand to OPEC to beg them and was rebuffed – weakening the US in the eyes of the world once again.
His behaviour towards the Saudis threatened the Abraham Accords, and likely pushed the newly financed Iranian regime into attacking Israel through its proxies to destabilize any relationship between Tel Aviv and Riyadh. The Abraham Accords go almost unmentioned, but were the most significant move towards lasting peace in the region in my lifetime. Any other president than Trump would have got a Nobel prize and his face carved in Mt Rushmore for that.
So, Russia, China, the Middle East, the economy – all significantly worse thanks to Biden’s actions and inactions. …. and we haven’t even mentioned the Southern Border! (Nor his ignorant meddling in questions of the Irish Border either)
Yup, I’m afraid John, that selling “Fear” is all Joe has.
‘ He created endless chaos.’
I don’t think you can count the peaceful protests of 2020 as ‘endless chaos’!
I agree that Trump’s disastrous lockdown policies destroyed jobs.
Or the chaos at the border, or the chaos in international relations.
The only chaos during Trump’s first term was created by Democrats. Hillary & Blinken pulled the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax costing American taxpayers $50 million and 2 years of inquiry. Pelosi piled on with her faux impeachments. It’s the Democrats who created the chaos because they didn’t win and have lousy policies when they are in power.
And here it is in your post, misinformation and disinformation from people in a bubble who think war is good. Unemployment was low under Trump, particularly for blacks and minorities, it only rose when the pandemic hit as it would have for any president, stop spreading disinformation. And the economic numbers are a sham under this puppet administration (Joe’s senile), the debt is so high it’s insurmountable so the GDP numbers are a joke consequently. Food prices are higher than ever, housing is unaffordable, gas is high, energy bills are unaffordable, personal debt is astronomical. We have an invasion at the border, kids being transed against the will of their parents, parents being labeled as domestic terrorists, fentanyl killing millions, wars everywhere, men beating women in women’s sports, the horror of Afghanistan, Iran given billions to set the Middle East on fire, the list of atrocities under this president is endless. People don’t feel any benefit from the numbers you spout off from left wing talking points
So no, it’s not “The economy stupid!”
By the way Trump didn’t “create chaos”, your lot did. Trying to hamstring the presidency at every turn and weaponizing the DOJ to do it. The chaos was all in the minds of deranged Trump haters who dragged us all through hell with Russia Collusion hoaxes and conspiracy theory impeachments.
So here’s a suggestion, get over your hate and grow up, as Dimon advised.
Obama allowed an American ambassador to be murdered in Libya in 2012 when there were American forces nearby. That is an attack on the USA . Compare Obama’s inactivity with Christian Craighead the SAS soldier who on his own volition entered the Dusit D2 Complex to rescue hostages Nairobi. DusitD2 complex attack – Wikipedia
Obama’s unwillingness to save an American ambassador in 2012 sent a clear message to the World that he and the Democrat Party lacked fighting spirit. Putin invaded Crimea in 2014. Name one single action by Obama which could have deterred Putin from invading Crimea?
It is almost as if Obama has a plan to weaken the USA.
“Politics, as a practice, whatever its professions, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds.” The Education of Henry Adams
Given the current choices before the public: One is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t.
Sorry, but the link you gave us is still behind a paywall.
Try this link to the New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/11/opinion/columnists/donald-trump-election.html?unlocked_article_code=1.T00.7XM_.spGPk9ljrUh2&smid=url-share
You have to feel sorry for the right — or “ultra-right” as the plutocrat-owned mainstream media likes to put it in its balanced way. AI is in the hands of Silicon Valley, a hot bed of left-wing money and technological smarts. Long known as the Stupid Party, the Republicans are doomed to becoming stupider by the day.
Jerry,
If you use Bing, as an AI search function, and ask it to find articles that suppport the right-of-centre position on any issue you choose, it will come back with dozens of articles that try to debunk that viewpoint, and barely one that supportsit.
Thus a “consensus” view is built, wholly dishonestly.
AIs are only as good as the model training that goes into them. AI doesn’t automatically translate into “technological smarts.” It can easily be corrupted by confirmation bias and leftwing stupidity, too.
What a bigoted comment.
By the way, it’s not Republicans who are necessarily stupid. They’re simply not conniving like Democrats. Stupid people abound on both sides, but conniving to do evil remains the remit of Democrats. Look at the Russia hoax. You may applaud that though, given your post, who knows.
Michelle Obama is the most likely Democrat nominee coming out of the DNC convention. It makes zero sense that the Democrats would carry through with the charade of Biden as nominee. The US political apparatus, and their billionaire nursemaids, could care less which neocon is elected president, just as along as he or she doesn’t have a slightly orange tint, and they are well bought and stay bought.
I agree that Joe Biden seems unlikely to be on the ballot for Democrats come November. If he is, that would be a disgrace. He’s not fit for the presidency now, and they put him up for another 4 years? Madness.
But it’s not going to be Michelle Obama. She would be a joke as president. Might as well pick Oprah Winfrey. At least she has some executive experience.
MO would win every black and female voter, except for female conservatives, which you can count on one hand. She would also win the democrat party faithful and the never-Trumpers. The question is whether she has the stomach for being Barrack’s front man for eight years.
Michelle Obama self-admitted that she is lazy. She also got the wealth she was craving. She was also an affirmative action student at college and never made partner at her law firm opting to become a DEi official at a local hospital instead. She doesn’t have the ‘right stuff’ to be President.
She is enjoying her life and was never a go-getter. But she could easily win, her husband would make the job much easier, and the power is a powerful aphrodisiac. I hope she doesn’t run, but she might.
Still with the laptop fantasy!
Says the fantasist who bought into the denial of its existence and thought it was the “Ruskies”!!!!
It’s easy to criticise and find potential flaws.
How else do you propose we try to deal with the deluge of misinformation (from all sides and the media itself)?
If you think ‘let it be, it’ll sort itself out’, say so.
If not, we need alternative approaches.
Yeah because the government being weaponized through AI against political opposition is going to go really well and better than doing nothing, right.
Did you read the article?
Are you someone who’s never read Orwell either?
Re: “…the deluge of misinformation…”
Remember that we can conjoin letters and words for things that have no existence (‘square circle,’ for example), and ‘misinformation’ is arguably in this category. We say we’ve been ‘misinformed’ when information we’ve received is inaccurate, incomplete, or in some other way misleading or unreliable, but it doesn’t follow from this conventional usage that there’s such a thing as misinformation. Ontologically, the word designates a null set. Everything that comes to our attention qualifies as information, and there’s definitely a deluge of that.
The things we’re normally concerned to know about information are its relevance, reliability, utility, etc., and judging these matters requires empirical investigation. It’s precisely this sort of investigation that censors seek to prevent. The ‘misinformation’ label is a dodge that pretends we already have answers to questions we haven’t even been allowed to ask yet. The strategy of pre-emptively certifying as ‘false’ claims whose truth or falsity are exactly what’s at issue enables censors to substitute their judgment for our own, and–in their minds–also justifies taking the further step of removing those claims from the information commons where they could be discussed and evaluated.
Its matchless convenience as a censorship tool is the sole reason why the word ‘misinformation’ has entered the lexicon, and we now hear it every day. Should we really be collaborating in the scam by thoughtlessly using it ourselves?
We may need approaches but a government controlled system is not one of them. Maybe controls on your individual instruments that you can configure…
When the Left starts talking about “the difficult responsibility” of something they’re about to go full-speed-ahead into it while pretending they’d rather not have to. It’s never good news for anyone on the Right.
Ah right the 5-Eyes will use ‘Track F’ to stamp out AI generated spam that they don’t like. While also using ‘Logically.AI’ to generate a tidal wave of spam that they do like.
Hypocrisy for the sake of total control as usual. Will the internet cease to be useful when it’s just flooded with AI bots?