Amid growing concerns over foreign disinformation campaigns, recent cybersecurity research from Microsoft and U.S. officials has revealed that China is deploying advanced artificial intelligence to target voters in the United States, Taiwan, and other countries.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Chinese-linked online actors are utilizing generative AI tools to spread false information through fake social media accounts. These actors are focusing on divisive domestic political issues and potentially attempting to influence elections in foreign nations.
Microsoft’s cyber-threat report, published on Friday, highlighted the use of accounts on platforms like Twitter to disseminate misinformation. These accounts, some existing for over a decade, discussed topics such as American drug use, immigration policies, and racial tensions. The use of relatively rudimentary generative AI tools for imagery in these posts aimed to solicit opinions on presidential candidates, potentially gathering insights into U.S. voters’ political views.
Tom Burt, Microsoft’s head of customer security and trust, expressed concerns about the evolving tactics employed by China in its disinformation operations. Burt noted the concerning trend of experimentation and the significant state resources backing these efforts.
Taiwan’s January presidential election witnessed an uptick in the use of sophisticated AI tools, including an AI-generated fake audio clip of a former presidential candidate endorsing a current candidate. This marked the first instance of a nation-state actor using AI to influence a foreign election, as observed by Microsoft researchers.
The U.S. intelligence community’s annual worldwide threats report echoed these findings, emphasizing China’s enhanced capabilities in conducting covert influence operations and disseminating disinformation. The report mentioned China’s utilization of generative AI to shape discourse on sensitive issues like Hong Kong and Taiwan, indicating an intensification of efforts in this realm.
As China continues to leverage AI-powered disinformation to influence voters globally, experts and officials alike are closely monitoring these activities for potential implications on international politics and electoral processes.
