Anthropic says UAE-linked AI op targeted UN experts over Sudan
Anthropic has reported that a UAE-linked influence operation used its Claude AI chatbot to generate propaganda and target UN experts critical of the UAE's role in the Sudan conflict. The campaign, dubbed 'Deadshot,' aimed to discredit critics and support the Rapid Support Forces.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing risk of AI models being weaponized by state actors for disinformation campaigns and geopolitical influence operations.
AI firm Anthropic has said it detected a UAE -linked influence operation that targeted the Muslim Brotherhood and United Nations experts critical of Abu Dhabi's alleged role in Sudan's war.
In a report on misuse of its AI models on Thursday (September 12, 2026), Anthropic said it uncovered and disrupted the broad campaign it linked "with high confidence" to UAE government officials.
Aimed primarily at the Muslim Brotherhood, the operation used the company's Claude chatbot to generate reports, advocacy materials, social media content and testimony on Sudan.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in a war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), triggering what the United Nations has described as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
The UAE has repeatedly been accused, including by UN experts, of supporting the RSF and fuelling the conflict, allegations Abu Dhabi denies.
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