New Delhi: China will create and amplify AI-generated content to influence public opinion and further its geopolitical objectives with elections taking place around the world this year, particularly in India, South Korea and the United States, warned tech giant Microsoft.
Clint Watts, General Manager of the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC), stated in a blog post Thursday, “With major elections taking place around the world this year, particularly in India, South Korea, and the United States, we assess that China will, at a minimum, create and amplify AI-generated content to benefit its interests.”
Voting for India’s 543 Lok Sabha seats is scheduled from 19 April to 4 June spread over seven phases, while legislative elections in South Korea and the US Presidential will be held on 10 April and 5 November, respectively.
The blog post by Watts also mentioned China’s intent to generate and promote AI-generated content to support its interests in these significant elections. The analysis was also highlighted in the latest East Asia report published Wednesday by the MTAC.
Although the current influence of such content on audience perspectives is limited, China’s ongoing exploration of enhancing memes, videos, and audio could potentially become more impactful in the future, according to the analysis.
These concerns come in the wake of reports of Chinese cyber and influence actors engaging in espionage and operations across various regions. These cyber actors have refined their methods, utilising AI-generated content to sow discord within the US and exacerbate tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, including Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, Watts highlighted in the blog post.
In the blog post titled China Tests US Voter Fault Lines and Ramps AI Content to Boost Its Geopolitical Interests, Watts discusses the specific topics where China has used AI-generated content to gauge voters’ mindsets ahead of elections.
These topics include the train derailment in Kentucky in November 2023, the Maui wildfires in August 2023, the disposal of Japanese nuclear wastewater, drug use in the US as well as immigration policies and racial tensions in the country.
Watts also noted that during the Taiwanese presidential election in January, there was a notable increase in the utilisation of AI-generated content to enhance information operations by actors affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — marking the first time that Microsoft Threat Intelligence witnessed a nation-state actor using AI content in attempts to influence a foreign election.
Since at least February 2023, the group identified as Storm-1376 has significantly increased its use of AI-generated news anchors, the analysis highlighted.
It added that this tactic of using AI to alter videos has been previously deployed against the same dissident. Moreover, Storm-1376 launched a sequence of AI-generated memes targeting William Lai, the candidate of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the presidential race, illustrating a countdown to the DPP’s removal from authority, it said.
According to the analysis, however, there is limited evidence available regarding the potential impact of these developments on India’s election.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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