# Generative Propaganda

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.19147 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.19147/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 17 of its 111 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 23 Sep 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 17 of 17)

- [Multilingual Jailbreak Challenges in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.06474/) (2023)
- [Invisible Image Watermarks Are Provably Removable Using Generative AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.01953/) (2023)
- [Watermarks in the Sand: Impossibility of Strong Watermarking for Generative Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.04378/) (2023)
- [A Representative Study on Human Detection of Artificially Generated Media Across Countries](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.05976/) (2023)
- [An Analysis of Recent Advances in Deepfake Image Detection in an Evolving Threat Landscape](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.16212/) (2024)
- [Are Deepfakes Concerning? Analyzing Conversations of Deepfakes on Reddit and Exploring Societal Implications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.15044/) (2022)
- [SoK: Systematization and Benchmarking of Deepfake Detectors in a Unified Framework](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.04364/) (2024)
- [On the Horizon: Interactive and Compositional Deepfakes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.01714/) (2022)
- [AVA: Inconspicuous Attribute Variation-based Adversarial Attack bypassing DeepFake Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.08675/) (2023)
- [YouTube, The Great Radicalizer? Auditing and Mitigating Ideological Biases in YouTube Recommendations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.10666/) (2022)
- [Analyzing the AI Nudification Application Ecosystem](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.09751/) (2024)
- [Analyzing User Engagement with TikTok's Short Format Video Recommendations using Data Donations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.04945/) (2023)
- [Characterizing the MrDeepFakes Sexual Deepfake Marketplace](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.11100/) (2024)
- [Exploring Parent-Child Perceptions on Safety in Generative AI: Concerns, Mitigation Strategies, and Design Implications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.10461/) (2024)
- [Why Older Adults (Don't) Use Password Managers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.01973/) (2020)
- [Understanding Parents' Perceptions and Practices Toward Children's Security and Privacy in Virtual Reality](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.06172/) (2024)
- [Journalists' Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence and Disinformation Risks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.01824/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Generative propaganda is the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to shape public opinion. To characterize its use in real-world settings, we conducted interviews with defenders (e.g., factcheckers, journalists, officials) in Taiwan and creators (e.g., influencers, political consultants, advertisers) as well as defenders in India, centering two places characterized by high levels of online propaganda. The term "deepfakes", we find, exerts outsized discursive power in shaping defenders' expectations of misuse and, in turn, the interventions that are prioritized. To better characterize the space of generative propaganda, we develop a taxonomy that distinguishes between obvious versus hidden and promotional versus derogatory use. Deception was neither the main driver nor the main impact vector of AI's use; instead, Indian creators sought to persuade rather than to deceive, often making AI's use obvious in order to reduce legal and reputational risks, while Taiwan's defenders saw deception as a subset of broader efforts to distort the prevalence of strategic narratives online. AI was useful and used, however, in producing efficiency gains in communicating across languages and modes, and in evading human and algorithmic detection. Security researchers should reconsider threat models to clearly differentiate deepfakes from promotional and obvious uses, to complement and bolster the social factors that constrain misuse by internal actors, and to counter efficiency gains globally.