UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to warn on Tuesday that foreign states are using AI-manipulated videos to undermine Western support for Ukraine, in what she describes as an escalation of 'information warfare'. Speaking at an event marking 100 years of the Locarno treaties, Cooper will urge other nations to help Britain counter these hybrid threats, which include forged documents and deepfake material.
Cooper's remarks come at a sensitive moment in the Ukraine war, as US President Donald Trump pushes for a peace deal. US and Ukrainian officials have been locked in talks without a breakthrough, while Cooper met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Monday. The Foreign Office has previously warned of Russian disinformation networks, such as Doppelgänger, which spread false rumours about the Princess of Wales and western financing of Israel.
Cooper will say that advances in technology have lowered the barrier to entry for malign actors, allowing them to interfere in elections and weaken Western interests. 'By flooding social media with generative AI and manipulated videos, they can gradually undermine support for our major allies like Ukraine with lies,' she will state. The foreign secretary will also highlight disinformation campaigns targeting social divisions on gender and migration.
Officials point to examples such as fake websites created during Moldovan elections in September, which appeared to belong to the PAS party and contained fabricated policies. Cooper will stress that legitimate debate on contentious issues is for the UK to have, not for foreign states to exploit. 'This isn't about legitimate debate on contentious issues... but they are our debates to have – not those for foreign states to use as their playground,' she will say.
