These LLMs are the best at resisting Russian propaganda

Key points

• As more people rely on large language models to provide pat answers to complex questions, state governments are understandably worried about those LLMs spouting what they see as dangerous propaganda by foreign adversaries.
• To help combat this problem, the government- Estonian Language Institute (ELI) has released a new “Propaganda Resistance” benchmark ranking dozens of LLMs on their ability to avoid “tak[ing] positions on topics that the Russian Federation uses in its strategic narratives.” As a former member of the Soviet Union that has been independent for just a few decades, many Estonians are particularly alert to what they see as false narratives being from their large and often belligerent neighbor to the east.
• Alongside volunteer-run Estonian defense collective Propastop, the ELI identified 14 broad categories in which it sees Russian influence operations trying to sway public discussion.
• These range from narratives on the current status of Crimea and justifications for...