Deepfakes, Bots, and Manipulated Media: The Top Narrative Attacks of 2024
By Blackbird.AI
Sophisticated narrative attack campaigns in 2024 targeted financial markets, cultural events, geopolitics, and major brands and industries, leveraging AI tools to create and spread harmful narratives with unprecedented precision.
The artificial intelligence tools for creating and disseminating narrative attacks have become more sophisticated in 2024, leading to a marked increase in narrative attacks that cause financial and reputational harm. Across geopolitical landscapes, financial markets, and even major sporting events like the Summer Olympics, false narratives shaped by deepfakes, identity politics, and AI-generated content sought to erode public trust and manipulate outcomes. This year, narrative attacks became the number one global threat and a key weapon in the digital warfare arsenal, impacting everything from the global economy to brand reputation, as the World Economic Forum forecasted in January 2024.
In this review, we explore the most notable narrative attacks of 2024, their impact on public perception, and the lessons learned about defending against this rising threat.
LEARN MORE: What Is Narrative Intelligence?
The Role of AI: Empowering Narrative Attacks
One of the defining features of 2024’s narrative attacks has been the use of AI in generating and disseminating harmful narratives. AI-powered tools such as deepfakes, chatbot-driven information campaigns, and generative content creation have made it easier than ever for cyber attackers and nation-states to manipulate public opinion on a massive scale.
AI’s ability to create realistic but entirely fabricated content has blurred the lines between truth and fiction, allowing harmful narratives to gain traction before they can be debunked. AI-generated content can target specific demographics with tailored messages, making it difficult for individuals to discern reality.
Evolving Tactics: The Tools of 2024 Narrative Attacks
Deepfakes: Blurring Reality and Fabrication
Deepfake technology reached new levels of sophistication in 2024, creating hyper-realistic videos that blurred the line between reality and fabrication. These videos spread false narratives about public figures and executives, further eroding trust in digital media.
AI-Driven Bots
Generative AI-powered bots executed large-scale campaigns, mimicking human interaction to influence online discourse. Their ability to adapt in real-time made them particularly effective in spreading narrative attacks.
Algorithmic Amplification
Social media algorithms played an unintended role in amplifying narrative attacks. By prioritizing sensational content, platforms inadvertently boosted the reach of harmful narratives, leaving factual content struggling to compete.
The Top Narratives of 2024
Taylor Swift’s global fame has made her a frequent target of AI-driven deepfake campaigns and narrative attacks. These campaigns leverage her influence to amplify divisive societal issues, from feminism to political polarization, using fabricated videos and false narratives to manipulate public opinion. Social media algorithms and bot activity fuel the rapid spread of false narratives, showcasing how celebrities can be weaponized to further political agendas and sow cultural discord.
The narratives surrounding Swift’s relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce exemplify how celebrity interactions become conduits for broader societal debates. From conspiracy theories framing their relationship as a political ploy to gender dynamics and marketing-driven narratives, these discussions reflect ingrained societal divides. Advanced tools like network graphing have revealed polarized echo chambers, where agendas driven by narratives intersect with organic fan engagement. Despite the harmful narratives, positive sentiments also emerge, with fans countering harmful content through humor, creativity, and coordinated efforts to protect Swift’s reputation and image.
Swift’s experience underscores the urgency for organizations and leaders to address the growing threat of AI-enabled narrative manipulation. As celebrities increasingly become tools for agenda-driven actors, the lessons from these campaigns highlight the necessity of monitoring online conversations and employing advanced technologies to anticipate and respond to narrative attacks. These strategies are crucial for safeguarding reputations, mitigating risks, and fostering constructive dialogues in an era where digital narratives hold immense power.
The run-up to Super Bowl LVII was shaped by a range of narratives that reveal both the deep passion of its fanbase and growing skepticism about the league’s integrity. From allegations of game rigging and referee bias to debates about racism and commercial decisions, these narratives highlight the polarizing perspectives of NFL fans. For example, claims of manipulated outcomes to favor popular teams like the Kansas City Chiefs sparked significant backlash fueled by viral posts and bot activity. Similarly, narratives surrounding Jerod Mayo’s appointment as head coach of the New England Patriots exposed racial and historical tensions within the league.
In addition to these controversies, commercial concerns have driven significant discourse, such as speculation about the Super Bowl moving to a pay-per-view model following successful exclusive streaming trials. Fans largely opposed this idea, fearing it would undermine the communal spirit of the event. Meanwhile, the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce relationship further exemplified the NFL’s intersection with cultural and political narratives, from lighthearted fan humor to divisive claims about ideological manipulation. These celebrity-driven narratives brought new audiences to football but also surfaced societal divides amplified by social media.
The 2024 NCAA March Madness tournament sparked significant social media narratives beyond basketball, highlighting issues of gender inequality and racial discrimination. Key discussions included Caitlin Clark surpassing ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich’s all-time leading scorer record, which drew both praise and criticism regarding gender comparisons in sports. Additionally, the Utah women’s basketball team faced racial harassment in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, prompting debates about regional racism and the authenticity of such claims. These narratives underscore the profound impact of social media in shaping public perception and the necessity for proactive measures against narrative attacks in today’s interconnected world.
Following the 4.8 magnitude earthquake near New York on April 5, various conspiracy theories proliferated online. Some individuals interpreted the quake as a sign of impending global catastrophe, especially when linked with a recent solar eclipse and the anticipated appearance of a rare comet. Others speculated about connections between this event and a recent earthquake in Taiwan, suggesting geopolitical tensions or the use of “tectonic weapons” by nations like Russia or China. Concerns were also raised about New York City’s infrastructure readiness for such events, with criticisms about delayed emergency alerts. Additionally, some narratives attempted to tie the earthquake to political events, including former President Trump’s legal matters and the upcoming presidential elections. A smaller subset of theories even posited that the quake was the result of foreign attacks by entities like Mossad or Hezbollah.
Coordinated narrative attack campaigns are undermining public support for climate initiatives. These attacks exploit fears about economic impacts and government overreach, often using bot-like activity to amplify their reach. The World Economic Forum has identified manipulated narratives as the top global risk, with climate change as the foremost long-term threat. The post emphasizes the need for awareness and proactive measures to counteract these harmful narratives that hinder progress in addressing climate change.
The phenomenon of “precision canceling” and narrative manipulation emerged in the Korean entertainment industry, where targeted narrative attacks can significantly impact artist careers and public perception. Through case studies involving figures like Kim Woojin, Hyunjin from Stray Kids, and Kim Garam from Le Sserafim, narrative data shows how specific allegations—ranging from sexual harassment to school bullying—have led to varying consequences, from career termination to temporary hiatuses.
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris were a battleground for sophisticated narrative attacks, exposing the vulnerabilities of global events to narrative manipulation. French agency Viginum uncovered an orchestrated campaign by state-affiliated actors, beginning in July 2023, to tarnish France’s international image and question its preparedness to host the Games. These efforts include spreading false claims about inadequate security, political instability, and logistical failures, amplified by bot activity and coordinated social media narratives. The blog delves into the geopolitical motivations behind these attacks, highlighting how narrative manipulation is weaponized to sow doubt and discord on the global stage. By analyzing the propagation and impact of these narratives, the piece underscores the critical role of tools like narrative intelligence in combating such threats. It also calls attention to the broader implications for international cooperation and the reputational stakes tied to hosting prestigious events like the Olympics.
At Black Hat 2024, cybersecurity experts—Blackbird.AI CEO Wasim Khaled and NightDragon CEO and Blackbird.AI advisor Dave DeWalt, for example—highlighted the convergence of traditional cyber attacks with AI-driven narrative attacks, deliberate campaigns designed to manipulate public perception. This fusion necessitates a comprehensive security approach integrating technical defenses with strategies to counteract narrative manipulation. The World Economic Forum identified AI-enabled narrative attacks as the top short-term global risk in 2024, underscoring the urgency of addressing these threats. Security leaders are now redefining strategies for an era where information can be weaponized.
The “Thoughtnet” combines traditional cyberattacks with advanced narrative manipulation to destabilize societies. These AI-enabled systems infiltrate digital ecosystems, posing as authentic users to influence opinions and polarize communities on a massive scale. Unlike conventional cyberattacks that target systems, Thoughtnet bots aim to exploit cognitive vulnerabilities, leveraging social media algorithms and personalized targeting to amplify their reach. By blending fabricated content, deepfakes, and AI-generated narratives, these networks create the illusion of organic movements, often embedding themselves within online communities to manipulate trust. Blackbird.AI’s research highlights the urgent need for proactive strategies, including narrative intelligence and cross-disciplinary collaboration, to detect and dismantle these hybrid threats, which have already demonstrated their capacity to influence geopolitics, elections, and public health discussions.
The re-emergence of 2021’s GameStop saga exemplifies how online communities can influence financial markets through coordinated actions and narrative manipulation. Retail investors from the WallStreetBets forum initiated a massive buying spree of GameStop stock ($GME), causing its price to skyrocket and inflicting significant losses on hedge funds holding short positions. In response, brokerage platforms like Robinhood restricted trading of these volatile stocks, allowing only sales and preventing further purchases. This move sparked widespread outrage and conspiracy theories among users, leading to reputational damage for the platforms involved.
Russian state media outlets, such as RT, circumvent EU and US sanctions by utilizing proxy domains and mirror sites replicating their content under different URLs. This tactic enables them to continue disseminating propaganda and narrative attacks despite official bans. For instance, the mirror site esrt.site has become the second most frequently shared Russian state media domain, following only rt.com. These proxy domains pose significant risks to brand integrity and consumer trust, as they can inadvertently fund or appear alongside harmful content. Blackbird.AI’s Domain Intelligence technology identified numerous similar domains, revealing the extensive network employed by Russian state media to evade sanctions and maintain their online presence.
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Milton and Helene, FEMA’s disaster response efforts were significantly hindered by narrative attacks. False narratives, including claims that FEMA was confiscating aid or intentionally neglecting specific communities, proliferated across social media platforms. These misleading narratives undermined public trust in relief operations and endangered lives by deterring individuals from seeking essential assistance.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates became the focal point of numerous coordinated narrative attacks, with over 500,000 online conversations propagating false claims about his intentions and actions. These narratives include allegations that he invented COVID-19 to enforce vaccinations, desires to implement AI-driven surveillance to suppress dissent, seeks to control agriculture through climate change agendas, and is linked to high-profile sex-trafficking cases. Narrative manipulation attempts are amplified by hyper-agenda-driven communities and foreign malign influencers, leading to significant public distrust and the spread of conspiracy theories.
Russia weaponized the Telegram messaging platform to spread misleading narratives and amplify state-sponsored narratives on a global scale. Telegram’s decentralized and lightly moderated structure provides an ideal environment for pro-Russian propaganda channels to thrive. These channels target specific audiences with tailored messaging, often blending factual events with fabricated narratives to manipulate public opinion, exacerbate societal divisions, and undermine democratic institutions. Key strategies include leveraging Telegram’s anonymity to coordinate large-scale narrative attack campaigns, using bot networks to amplify messages, and exploiting geopolitical tensions to spread anti-Western rhetoric. The post underscores Telegram’s architecture’s significant challenges in combating these threats, highlighting the need for advanced narrative intelligence tools and collaborative international efforts to counteract the sophisticated influence operations shaping the global information landscape.
A wave of news and social media reports about the mysterious drone sightings over New Jersey spurred viral narratives, including theories about Chinese and Iranian espionage, alien encounters, government psyops, and alleged plots targeting former President Trump. Each narrative reflects broader themes of distrust in institutions, geopolitical anxieties, and a fascination with unexplained phenomena. Amplified by bot-like and anomalous activity, these claims reached millions of engagements, deepening public polarization. The post highlights the intersection of political ideologies with conspiracy theories, where crises create fertile ground for harmful narratives. It underscores the importance of proactive narrative intelligence to identify and mitigate such narrative manipulation, emphasizing that societal uncertainty is a breeding ground for manipulation in the digital age. The drone mystery became secondary to its insights into modern narrative manipulation and societal vulnerabilities.
Defending Against Narrative Attacks
Proactive Monitoring
Real-time visibility of online narrative attacks is essential to protecting against financial and reputational harm. Platforms like Blackbird.AI’s Constellation Narrative Intelligence offer critical early detection and analysis tools.
Public Awareness Campaigns
Educating individuals about the dangers of AI-generated images, video, and text empowers them to critically evaluate their content, reducing false narratives’ reach.
Platform Accountability
Collaboration between governments, organizations, and social media platforms is vital to curb the spread of narrative attacks. Improved content moderation and algorithmic transparency are key steps in this process.
Legislative Action
Governments must enact policies to regulate the misuse of AI technologies and hold bad actors accountable. International cooperation is essential to combat cross-border narrative attack campaigns.
Lessons Learned
The rise of narrative attacks in 2024 has highlighted the urgent need for robust defense mechanisms. Blackbird.AI’s Constellation Narrative Intelligence Platform has played a critical role in detecting and mitigating these attacks, providing real-time analysis of emerging narratives and their potential impact. However, as the tools for creating narrative attacks become more sophisticated, so must the methods for combating them.
Key strategies for defending against narrative attacks include:
- Proactively monitor for continuous surveillance of online narratives
- Identify key narratives that impact your organization
- Understand the influence behind them
- See the networks they touch
- Detect bot behavior that scales them
- Learn about the cohorts and communities that connect and amplify them.
This information enables organizations to proactively understand narrative threats as they scale and become harmful for better strategic decision-making.
The Way Forward
As we move into 2025, the lessons from 2024’s wave of narrative attacks are clear and are increasingly potent tools in targeting executives and organizations and shaping public perception. Whether in politics, finance, or global events like the Olympics, narrative attacks can undermine trust, destabilize businesses and societies, and alter outcomes on a massive scale.
To defend against these threats, governments, organizations, and individuals must remain vigilant, adopting advanced tools and strategies to counter the growing tide of AI-powered narrative attacks by implementing a narrative intelligence strategy. Only by staying ahead of these emerging threats can we hope to preserve the integrity of our information landscape.
To learn more about how Blackbird.AI can help you in these situations, book a demo.