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Study Reveals Bot Problem on X, Formerly Known as Twitter

Study Reveals Bot Problem on X, Formerly Known as Twitter

Study Reveals Bot Problem on X, Formerly Known as Twitter

A recent study conducted by a student-teacher team at the Observatory on Social Media at Indiana University has revealed that X, formerly known as Twitter, has a real bot problem. The study found that there are about 1,140 artificial intelligence-powered accounts on the platform that post machine-generated content and steal selfies to create fake personas.

These fake accounts are part of what the researchers called the “Fox8” botnet. This botnet reportedly utilizes ChatGPT to generate content that aims to promote suspicious websites and spread harmful content. The bot accounts attempt to convince people to invest in fake cryptocurrencies and have even been thought to steal from existing crypto wallets.

The posts from these bot accounts often include hashtags such as #bitcoin, #crypto, and #web3. They also frequently interact with human-run accounts like Forbes’ crypto-centered X account (@ForbesCrypto) and blockchain-centered news site Watcher Guru (@WatcherGuru).

AI-Powered Accounts Post Machine-Generated Content and Steal Selfies

Beyond looting crypto, Fox8 accounts were found to distort online conversations and spread misinformation in various contexts, from elections to public health crises. The goal of the botnet is to spam X users with a slew of AI-generated posts in order to increase the chances of being seen by legitimate users and heighten the probability that a human would click on a fraudulent URL.

To appear more human-like, this botnet not only nabs photos from real users but also frequently interacts with each other through retweets and replies. The Fox8 profiles boast profile descriptions and even have an average of 74 followers, 140 friends, and 149.6 tweets.

These elements suggest that Fox8 bots are actively participating in activities on X and make them more believable to human users. However, advancements in language models such as ChatGPT have made accounts within Fox8 increasingly difficult to detect by significantly enhancing the capabilities of bots across all dimensions.

Overall, this study highlights the ongoing challenge of dealing with fake accounts and misinformation on social media platforms.

 

#BotProblem #X #Twitter #FakeAccounts #Misinformation #Breaking #Happening #IMUDNews

Reporter: Mary M. Scott

Reporter: Mary M. Scott

Highly skilled content writer with a passion for creating engaging, informative content that connects #journalist #contentcreator

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