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AI-Driven Pro-Trump Bot Network on X Fractures Over Epstein Files

The contradictions highlight how sudden political controversies can derail AI-fueled bot campaigns designed to massage perceptions.

Rachel Maddow was amused by the "malfunctioning" MAGA bot network.
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Protesters with pictures of Jeffrey Epstein and President Donald Trump in front of the Federal courthouse on July 8, 2019 in New York City.
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Overview

  • Researchers from Alethea and Clemson University have identified over 400 AI-driven accounts on X created in batches last year to automatically reply to conservative users with pro-Trump messages.
  • The bot network frequently praised MAGA figures such as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, aiming to shape perceptions rather than drive high engagement.
  • After Attorney General Pam Bondi announced she would withhold additional Jeffrey Epstein files, these bots began posting sharply conflicting statements, sometimes within the same minute.
  • Analysis of posting patterns—batch account creation, repetitive replies and irrelevant hashtags—confirms the accounts’ AI-driven nature and contribution to a partisan echo chamber.
  • The identities of the operators and the specific AI models powering the network remain unknown, raising concerns about the opacity of automated disinformation campaigns.