China would attempt to disrupt elections in the US, South Korea and India this year with artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content after making a dry run with the presidential poll in Taiwan, Microsoft Corp has said.
The US tech firm expects Chinese state-backed cybergroups to target high-profile elections this year, with North Korea also involved, a report published on Friday by the company’s threat intelligence team showed.
“As populations in India, South Korea and the United States head to the polls, we are likely to see Chinese cyber and influence actors, and to some extent North Korean cyberactors, work toward targeting these elections,” the report reads.
Photo: Reuters
“At a minimum,” China would create and distribute through social media AI-generated content that “benefits their positions in these high-profile elections,” Microsoft said.
The company added that the impact of AI-made content was minor, but warned that could change.
“While the impact of such content in swaying audiences remains low, China’s increasing experimentation in augmenting memes, videos and audio will continue — and may prove effective down the line,” Microsoft said.
China had already attempted an AI-generated disinformation campaign in the Taiwanese presidential and legislative elections in January, the report said.
That was the first time it had seen a state-backed entity using AI-made content in a bid to influence a foreign election, it added.
A Beijing-backed group called Storm 1376, also known as Spamouflage or Dragonbridge, was highly active during the Taiwanese election, the report said.
Its attempts to influence the outcome included posting fake audio on YouTube of presidential candidate Terry Gou (郭台銘) — the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder who bowed out in November last year — endorsing another candidate, it said.
That clip was “likely AI generated,” Microsoft said.
YouTube removed the content before it reached many users.
The Beijing-backed group pushed a series of AI-generated memes about now-president-elect William Lai — a pro-sovereignty candidate opposed by Beijing — that leveled baseless claims against the vice president accusing him of embezzling state funds.
There was also an increased use of AI-generated TV news anchors, a tactic that has also been used by Iran, with an “anchor” making unsubstantiated claims about Lai’s private life including fathering illegitimate children, the report said.
The news anchors were created by the CapCut tool, developed by the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd (字節跳動), the owner of TikTok, Microsoft said.
Chinese groups continue to mount influence campaigns in the US, with Beijing-backed actors using social media accounts to pose “divisive questions” and attempt to understand issues dividing US voters, it said.
“This could be to gather intelligence and precision on key voting demographics ahead of the US presidential election,” Microsoft wrote in a blog post accompanying the report.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS