Reports track Russian pro-war songs spreading online, some made with AI

In short: Russian pro-war music is being shared online across US-based and Russian platforms, and some related influence songs appear to be made with AI.

What's going on

Reporting describes Russian-made songs that praise the invasion of Ukraine being posted and shared on major music and video services. Some of that music has appeared on US-based platforms like YouTube and Apple Music, alongside other global services.

Platforms do not all react the same way. In 2024, Spotify removed profiles and songs from several Russian artists who support the war and are under Western sanctions, including Lyube, Grigory Leps, Oleg Gazmanov, Shaman and Polina Gagarina. At the time, some of the same artists’ music still appeared on other services like Apple Music and YouTube.

The reporting also points to AI being used in parts of this information fight. AI-generated music (songs created by software, like using a machine to quickly write and sing a track) can make it cheaper and faster to produce patriotic or persuasive songs, copy a person’s voice, and adjust lyrics for different audiences. One example described songs in Ukrainian that encouraged people to avoid the military draft, and Ukrainian intelligence said they were linked to a Russian disinformation effort.

What to watch

A key detail is that not every pro-war song is proven to be AI-made or directed by the Russian state. What is clearer is the distribution pattern: content can travel through a mix of US-based services and Russian platforms like VKontakte and Yandex Music, and enforcement can differ from one platform to another.

Source: NYTimes