Targeting Germany: Russia’s Disinformation Campaign Ahead of Federal Election

Last Week’s Sensationalist Claim

Last week, Stephan Protschka, a member of Parliament for the far-right party Alternative for Germany, took to Facebook and Telegram to share a sensationalist article. The country’s Green Party, it claimed, was conspiring with the Ukrainian government to recruit migrants to stage terrorist attacks—and blame his party.

A Torrent of Russian Disinformation

As the vote approaches, Russian influence campaigns have propagated wild claims about sexual, financial, and criminal scandals involving German politicians, playing on social and political tensions that have divided the country, according to researchers who track disinformation and foreign influence operations.

The Goal: Undermine Trust and Bolster the Far Right

The claims have appeared in fake news outlets and in videos that have been altered by artificial intelligence. They have been spread by an army of bot accounts on social media platforms like Facebook, Telegram, and, in a new development, Bluesky. The goal, according to the researchers and Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, is to undermine trust in mainstream parties and media and to bolster Germany’s far right, led by the Alternative for Germany, known as AfD.

Elon Musk’s Support for the Alternative for Germany

Aiming at the same target is the world’s richest man, Elon Musk. His public support of the Alternative for Germany on X, the social media network he owns, has aligned with Russia’s strategic objective to destabilize Western democracies and support for Ukraine.

Mutual Reinforcement

"We’re now dealing with a dual front," said Sasha Havlicek, chief executive of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a nonprofit research organization that on Thursday released a report about the Russian disinformation campaign on X. "Between Musk’s overt and the Kremlin’s covert operations, it is clear from the content that there’s mutual reinforcement there."

Targeting Germany’s Election

Germany’s election has become the latest battleground in Russia’s influence campaigns. The Kremlin hopes the outcome of the contest, called ahead of schedule after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left coalition collapsed late last year, could erode support in Europe for Ukraine, where Russian invaders are grinding down the country’s defenses after three years of war.

Fake News Maven

In Germany, Russia is employing tactics it has honed in France, Moldova, Georgia, the United States, and other countries that have recently held elections, according to disinformation researchers including from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, CeMAS, and Recorded Future, a threat intelligence company based in Massachusetts.

Deepfakes of Regular People

Not all fake videos feature prominent politicians. Another tactic that has been gaining momentum is altering videos that feature regular people. In January, Natalie Finch, a mental health nurse, made a promotional video on Instagram for the college in Britain where she works, the University of Bradford. Two weeks later the video reappeared on Bluesky, except this time she was not speaking about nursing but the mental health of candidates for Germany’s Christian Democratic Union.

Conclusion

The impact of Russia’s campaign on the outcome of the election remains uncertain. The researchers say the efforts have not so far meaningfully altered voter preferences, but the huge volume of disinformation has certainly seeped into the public discourse, carefully tailored to compound existing social grievances.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the goal of Russia’s disinformation campaign in Germany?
A: The goal is to undermine trust in mainstream parties and media and to bolster Germany’s far right, led by the Alternative for Germany.

Q: Who is supporting the Alternative for Germany?
A: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has publicly supported the Alternative for Germany on X, the social media network he owns.

Q: What is the impact of the disinformation campaign on the election?
A: The impact is uncertain, but the huge volume of disinformation has certainly seeped into the public discourse, carefully tailored to compound existing social grievances.

Q: How is the disinformation campaign spread?
A: The claims have appeared in fake news outlets and in videos that have been altered by artificial intelligence. They have been spread by an army of bot accounts on social media platforms like Facebook, Telegram, and Bluesky.

The Decline of Narrative Designers in the Video Game Industry

As the video game industry continues to face massive layoffs, narrative jobs are taking the biggest hit. The industry’s job cuts over the past couple of years – more than 30,000 roles were eliminated in 2023 and 2024 – disproportionately affected narrative designers, the creative professionals who craft the story elements of the game and give a title its emotional punch.

A Tough Time to Break In

Even the director of the game Avowed, Carrie Patel, a successful author and narrative developer with over a decade of experience at the game studio Obsidian Entertainment, feels lucky she was able to start her career years ago. She can’t imagine trying to break into the industry under today’s conditions.

"It just seems to be harder and harder to find a path in," Patel says. "I’ve heard colleagues hired within the last three or five years say essentially the same thing."

The Value of Human Creativity

Patel has been with Obsidian since 2013, when she started as a narrative designer on the first Pillars of Eternity, a role-playing game released in 2015. She was narrative colead on the 2018 sequel, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, and went on to work on the narrative design for 2019’s The Outer Worlds.

The Importance of Human Storytelling

Avowed, a first-person fantasy RPG set in the same universe as Obsidian’s acclaimed Pillars of Eternity series, is available today on Windows PC and Xbox Series X via early access. The game’s official launch is on Tuesday, February 18.

Patel is excited to launch a title with a rich, immersive story – especially as the talent required to make such a game becomes more scarce in the industry. "I think RPGs, especially the kind we make, give players an opportunity to show that they’re excited about games that are deep, nuanced, and respect their time," she says.

The Role of Artificial Intelligence

Part of Obsidian’s storytelling success has been its unwillingness to rely on artificial intelligence. "Good game stories are going to be written by good narrative designers," Patel says. AI use at studios has grown over the past few years; a survey of industry workers published earlier this year reported that 52 percent of respondents said they worked at companies using generative AI to develop games.

The Future of Storytelling

Despite corporate interest in the tech, game makers are less positive about AI than they have been in past years. "I don’t think any technology is going to replace human creativity," Patel says. "I think what makes our games special, our stories special, and our dialogues and characters special, are things that I haven’t seen any AI replicate."

Conclusion

In conclusion, the decline of narrative designers in the video game industry is a cause for concern. With the rise of artificial intelligence, it is crucial to recognize the value of human creativity and storytelling. As the industry continues to evolve, it is essential to prioritize human-driven storytelling and narrative design.

FAQs

Q: What is the impact of AI on the video game industry?
A: AI use at studios has grown, but game makers are less positive about AI than they have been in past years.

Q: What is the role of human creativity in game development?
A: Human creativity is essential in game development, and AI cannot replace it.

Q: What is the future of storytelling in the video game industry?
A: The future of storytelling in the video game industry is human-driven, and AI will not replace human creativity.

Powering the Future of AI: A New Perspective on Electricity Demand

The Problem: Unprecedented Growth in AI and Electricity Demand

Tech companies, data center developers, and power utilities have been panicking over the prospect of runaway demand for electricity in the U.S. in the face of unprecedented growth in AI.

A New Study Suggests a Solution

Amidst all the hand wringing, a new paper published this week suggests the situation might not be so dire if data center operators and other heavy electricity users curtail their use ever so slightly.

Unlocking Capacity through Demand Response

By limiting power drawn from the grid to 90% of the maximum for a couple of hours at a time – for a total of about a day per year – new users could unlock 76 gigawatts of capacity in the United States. That’s more than all data centers use globally, according to Goldman Sachs. To put that number into perspective, it’s about 10% of peak demand in the U.S.

Curbing Demand: A Win-Win for Data Centers and the Grid

If data centers were to curtail their use more, they could unlock progressively more capacity. Such programs aren’t exactly new. For decades, utilities have encouraged big electricity users like shopping malls, universities, and factories to curtail their use when demand peaks, like on hot summer days.

Flexibility is Key

Data centers have largely sat on the sidelines, instead opting to maintain uptime and performance levels for their customers. The study argues that data centers could be ideal demand-response participants because they have the potential to be flexible.

Trimming Power Use: Ways to Do It

There are a few ways that data centers can trim their power use, the study says. One is temporal flexibility, or shifting computing tasks to times of lower demand. AI model training, for example, could easily be rescheduled to accommodate a brief curtailment.

Another is spatial flexibility, where companies shift their computational tasks to other regions that aren’t experiencing high demand. Even with data centers, operators can consolidate loads and shut down a portion of their servers.

And if tasks are mission critical and can’t be delayed or shifted, data center operators can always turn to alternative power sources to make up for any curtailment. Batteries are ideally suited for this since even modestly sized installations can provide several hours of power almost instantaneously.

Real-World Examples

Some companies have already participated in ad hoc versions of these. Google has used its carbon-aware computing platform, originally developed to trim emissions, to enable demand response. Enel X has worked with data centers to tap into the batteries in their uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to stabilize the grid. And PG&E is offering to connect data centers to the grid quicker if operators agree to participate in a demand response program.

Conclusion

These tweaks won’t completely eliminate the need for new sources of power. But they might turn a potentially catastrophic situation – in which half of all new AI servers are underpowered – into one that’s more easily solved.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How much capacity can be unlocked through demand response?
A: 76 gigawatts in the United States, more than all data centers use globally.

Q: How can data centers trim their power use?
A: Through temporal and spatial flexibility, shifting computing tasks to times of lower demand, consolidating loads, and shutting down servers, and using alternative power sources like batteries.

Q: Are these solutions new?
A: No, utilities have been encouraging big electricity users to curtail their use for decades. Data centers can follow a similar approach.