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The Pentagon is running an AI propaganda mill targeting Latin America

theintercept.com

61–70 of 124 posts

Re: The Pentagon is running an AI propaganda mill targeting Latin America

#61

This is odd. They have the budget to run with real journalists and outlets. Is this some reverse-psychology move? Where they want people to see that its AI and thus not take it seriously? What aim does that achieve?

Real journalists / content writers have pesky morals and tend to become whistleblowers when they've had enough.

What are you talking about? There are entire groups of renowned "journalists" that turn out to be CIA collaborators. The renowned New York Times admitted they receive approval from the US government. Bellingcat, renowed "independent investigative journalists", turns out to be CIA-funded, and is awfully quiet with their investigations in situations where it does not suit NATO allies' agenda.

There's a reason why the public distrusts journalists more and more. Many people still think the problems are limited to domestic journalism, and haven't connected the dots yet w.r.t. that foreign policy journalism is just as bad, if not worse.

Re: The Pentagon is running an AI propaganda mill targeting Latin America

#62

Well, yes, obviously. Did you notice there is also one (rather, a whole ecosystem) targeting Russia, one for Iran, one for China, one for EU, one for Japan, etc?

> one (rather, a whole ecosystem) targeting Russia, one for Iran, one for China I'm fine with this. > one for EU, one for Japan, etc? I'm not okay with this. Wouldn't lump the two together.

That’s what someone full of propaganda would say

Re: The Pentagon is running an AI propaganda mill targeting Latin America

#63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems you're not from LatAm.

I am and I can say with full certainty that the "socialism threat" paranoia in our region is incredibly stupid. The real threat has always been corrupt governments and corporations meddling in politics that gave away the birth of guerrillas (and even sponsored them) like here in Colombia. The "socialism bad" has been in many cases just an excuse for so many here to hold themselves in power and make the lifes of the l…

I fully agree with you. However, when non-LatAm people talk about "socialism", they probably think of European-style socialism, which is awesome. LatAm socialism is a lot more extreme, and closer to full-on communism - my country still has people stuck in the 60s cold war era mentality and fully supporting the ideals of of the Soviet Union, still praising Cuba and Venezuela, reality notwithstanding.

European-style socialism would be better. Full 60s socialism would be significantly worse. It's quite likely that people ITT are using "socialism" to refer to either, and we're all talking past each other.

Re: The Pentagon is running an AI propaganda mill targeting Latin America

#64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are lots of socialist countries in the world that are doing fine.

Pretty much every remotely developed country is capitalist. The wealthiest country with a non-capitalist economy is Cuba or Turkmenistan, depending on where you draw the line.

The context of this discussion is Brazil and the intentions of the socialist Brazilian government. Are you claiming that the socialist party in Brazil intends to dismantle capitalism? In case you are unaware, countries can have capitalist economic systems and still have significant socialist traits like: large public sectors, state enterprises for natural monopolies and important industries, subsidized education and healthcare, etc.

Re: The Pentagon is running an AI propaganda mill targeting Latin America

#65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aren't you a venture capitalist? A left wing one?

> Aren't you a venture capitalist? Pretty much. > A left wing one? Wouldn't say that. I like wealth redistribution and taxation as a tool of both economic empowerment and political equalisation. I do have friends whom I'd consider left wing. I agree with them on many issues, from unionising bars to raising the minimum wage. I disagree with them on others, e.g. regulating everything for the sake of it.

I disagree.

Re: The Pentagon is running an AI propaganda mill targeting Latin America

#69

If the American system is so good, why does it always need to be promoted in such strange ways? LA people should be so eager to be pro-America

I just left Reddit, where a Cuban that moved to America is hosting an AMA.

It’s incredible. The guy seems to be giving brutally real opinions, the good and the bad, and telling his life’s story. Reddit readers ( admitting they’ve never been to Cuba ) try to shout him down and tell him what he should be thinking.

It’d be nice to hear more first hand stories like that.

Re: The Pentagon is running an AI propaganda mill targeting Latin America

#70
post #41

What I think many of the jaded comments about how "it was ever thus" miss is what it means that American soft power is reduced to AI slop. During the Cold War, the CIA famously funded all sorts of cultural endeavors, but much of the output (if not directly CIA-created, then at least bolstered by the Agency) is still held to have been culturally relevant: abstract expressionism ( https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20…

None of these were significant either, not worth even 1 neuron -- but they did provide a bit of copy for upscale yankee-CIA tinfoil-hat journalism - even books - a few decades later.
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