Blog – Scroll, Click, Misinform: Inside an AI-Powered Multilingual Clickbait Network

A network of websites is spreading AI-generated clickbait in many languages. It looks like harmless entertainment but often includes unverified health tips and misleading content. Linked to domains in Russia and admins in Armenia, this network uses AI and anonymity to quietly misinform people across countries.

As part of our investigation into inauthentic networks in Georgia, we identified a cross-border network of websites disseminating clickbait content in multiple languages. A significant portion of this content appears to be generated by artificial intelligence (AI). The network attracts users through entertainment-focused formats while also promoting health-related advice that may pose risks to public well-being.

Our investigation began after encountering a Georgian Facebook page “Fun Style – გართობა სტილი” which regularly shared visually and textually AI-generated content (see images below). What drew particular attention was the frequent appearance of links in comment sections on Facebook posts redirecting users to a Russian-domain website Armbest.ru and Stay-trendy.com. Interestingly, while the page’s content is in Georgian, Facebook transparency section reveals that the page is managed by four administrators based in Armenia.

Using DNSlytics, we found that Armbest.ru shares a Google AdSense Publisher ID with 31 other websites — a strong indicator of shared management or ownership. This suggests a coordinated network of 32 websites, most using .ru or .com domains. Upon reviewing these sites individually, we observed that identical AI-generated photos, texts, and articles were repeated across them. However, the content was shared in various languages: Russian, French, English, Georgian, Italian, Greek, German, Polish, Hungarian, Lithuanian, and Portuguese.

The websites sharing the same Google AdSense code follow a pattern suggesting a coordinated, multilingual clickbait network with varied but thematically similar naming conventions. Many domain names are composed of common adjectives and nouns related to fashion, home decor, health, or viral entertainment (e.g., dress-trends.com, cool-haircuts.com, very-interesting.com, cute-stories.com). Others reflect regional or language-specific terms, such as Spanish (tendencias-de-la-moda.com, decoracion-hogar.com), Russian (vkuhkne.ru, interesnoe.site), Armenian (armbest.ru, haybest.ru, sportarmenia.ru), Italian (infobuono.com, buoninfo.com), and French (infosdroles.com, interessantasavoir.com). The use of catchy, generic names and language-specific terms suggests a strategy to attract a wide range of audiences while keeping the network connected behind the scenes.

Armbest.ru was a central focus of our investigation, as it targets Georgian audiences. Although many articles are written in Georgian, the website’s terms and conditions state that it operates under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation and CIS countries. The use of a .ru domain further raises questions about why a Russian-registered site is directing content at Georgian users.

While these sites avoid overt political content, they employ other tactics typical of misinformation networks. For instance, one Georgian-language article promotes a homemade cough syrup, potentially unverified medical advice, reflecting a hallmark of clickbait tactics. Similar health-related content appears on the Italian version and other sites within the network.

Armbest.ru and its connected websites illustrate how automation and AI can be exploited to spread misleading, emotionally manipulative content or simply to monetize AI-generated entertaining material. The network’s structure – anonymous ownership, use of Russian-language legal references, a shared AdSense Publisher ID and coordinated clickbait tactics, forms a consistent pattern where technology and pseudo-media merge into mechanisms designed to mislead the public.

RESEARCH | ARTICLE © Mariam Tatanashvili, University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia

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