Anthropic Disrupts Global Influence Operations, Biological Weapons Research, Missile Development

Anthropic detected and disrupted an UAE-directed influence operation targeting the Muslim Brotherhood and the war in Sudan, the artificial intelligence company said in its September intelligence threat report.

A single actor used Anthropic's AI assistant, Claude, to conduct a coordinated transatlantic and regional operation to dismantle the Muslim Brotherhood globally. The actor also used Claude to influence perceptions of the United Arab Emirates' involvement in the war in Sudan, where Abu Dhabi backs the Rapid Support Forces. This campaign involved disrupting efforts at the United Nations to seek accountability for Emirati involvement in Sudan.

The operation built a network of approximately 300 inauthentic influencer social media accounts and used Claude to create a front NGO that copied a real Swiss organization's identity. Claude also ghost-wrote official testimonies for the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council and profiled 18 members of the European parliament and prominent journalists. Anthropic linked the operation with high confidence to UAE government officials.

The company also identified a cell in northern Yemen, likely involving Houthis, that attempted to use Claude to build guided rockets and missiles, including a multi-stage ballistic missile with a stated range goal above 2,000 kilometers. This cell used Claude to develop guidance, navigation, and control software and test-fired a guided rocket, which failed. Additionally, Anthropic caught scientists using its AI models for research that could help develop biological weapons, documenting five cases.

One case at a military research institute involved gain-of-function research on the chikungunya virus. Anthropic also shut down state-sponsored surveillance operations originating in China, Iran, and West Africa, which targeted diaspora and dissident communities.