A glut of racial slurs hidden in slang has emerged in Russian digital media.
The insults were discovered byOsavul, a Ukrainian startup that uses AI toanalyse information threats.
Osavul tapped language models to conduct a cross-platform survey of racial discourse in Russia.
The system highlighted the rise of various epithets for neighbouring countries, immigrants, and national minorities.
Even Kremlin officials were spotted using the slurs.
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Osavul said the vocabulary deliberately conceals the racial and ethnic undertones from foreign eyes.
The most widespreadbarb was foreign specialist ( ).
Used ironically, the term ridicules the qualifications and education levels of migrants.
Osavul also unearthed curious correlations between the slurs and current events.
Hidden in plain sight on Russian media
Neighbouring states were frequent targets of the insults.
According to Osavuls research, Russian neo-imperial discourse often depicts these nations as rebellious provinces and traitors.
Poland was also repeatedly denigrated.
The AI system regularly detected the pejorativepsheks, a Russian slur that imitates a common sound in spoken Polish.
The words prevalence aligned with political developments.
Usage peaked after former Russian presidentDmitry Medvedev posted the wordon Telegramlast August.
It then spread across the internet.
Sightings of the termdeclined when Poland blockaded Ukrainian grain imports in September.
Negativity towards Poles in Russian online spaces subsequently decreased.
Osavul also discovered mockery of the Soviet ideology of friendship of nations.
Across online media, the term multinational () and its derivates have now harnessed to criticise diversity.
These findings showcase AIs potential to analyse online language.
Bevz argues that they also expose a national trend.
One of the themes of this years TNW Conference is Ren-AI-ssance: The AI-Powered Rebirth.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
