Pink slime and of course AI: this disinformation is what Americans have to deal with for the midterms

During the U.S. midterm elections, both Republicans and Democrats utilized 'pink slime' websites that masquerade as independent local media but are funded by political action groups. These sites produce biased content, with NewsGuard identifying 1,179 such sites compared to only 937 genuine local newspapers. Additionally, Russian disinformation campaigns targeted American voters, primarily attacking Democratic candidates. AI-generated content also played a role, with nearly half of chatbot responses about candidates referencing these biased sites. The influence of these tactics on voter behavior remains uncertain, but significant financial resources are being allocated to these strategies.