China has hired a hacking group to create fake content about election candidates to influence the outcome of elections in the US, India, and South Korea
So far there’s no evidence that China’s efforts have been successful
China did something similar during Taiwan’s presidential election. Fortunately, it couldn’t manipulate the voters
Microsoft announced through a blog post that China is planning to use AI to disrupt elections in the US, India, and South Korea.
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.Microsoft
China already did a test run on Taiwan’s presidential election by trying to influence the outcome of the votes through an AI-backed misinformation campaign.
It did not meddle with the elections directly. Instead, it employed a hacker group as it always does. The group is called Storm 1376, also known as Spamouflage or Dragonbridge, and is backed by Beijing.
To make fake news believable, the group created multiple AI-generated TV anchors who then spewed derogatory fake stories about Lai.
The group first started posting fake audio on YouTube about election candidate Terry Gou. However, he then stepped down and proposed another candidate in November. So, the malicious group’s next target was William Lai.
The group posted a series of memes against him, even accusing him of embezzling state funds just because he’s pro-sovereignty, which Beijing opposes. In one instance, he was also accused of hiding a secret family with an illegitimate child.
However, the hackers’ efforts failed and the voters chose Lai as their next president.
Read more: Meta forms a team to prevent AI from tampering with EU elections
How is China trying to tamper with US & India elections?
After failing to influence the Taiwanese people, China’s next target is the US. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has already created many fake social media accounts that regularly post questions/polls about the USA’s internal issues.
The purpose of these posts is to understand the main grievances of the voters. Then, that information is used to create AI-generated content that sows the seed of division in US voters.
A wide range of topics have already been talked about, including:
The country’s immigration policy
Racial bias
Growing cases of drug abuse
The disposal of Japanese nuclear wastewater
The train derailment in Kentucky in November 2023, and so on
Although Indian voters are yet to be targeted with such misleading posts, the Indian government has started taking steps to quickly identify and remove false information.
For the same reason, last month a team from OpenAI met with the ICI to give a presentation on how they are planning to curb the misuse of AI during elections.
Has China been successful in swaying public opinion?
As we have seen from Taiwan’s elections, China hasn’t been very successful in swaying the voter’s opinions.
Even in the US so far, there’s little evidence that China’s fake posts are making any lasting impact. However, it’s still a matter of concern. Microsoft has warned that although the influence of AI is low for now, this can change in the future.
China has been heavily investing in AI content such as memes, videos, and news. And at the rate at which AI content is filling up the internet, it won’t be long before China’s misinformation strategy actually becomes effective.
This won’t be the first time that AI has been used to meddle with elections. For example, before the 2024 New Hampshire Democratic primaries, many voters received an AI-generated call mimicking Joe Biden’s voice asking them to not participate in the votes. After this, the FCC banned AI-generated robocalls.
But what’s surprising this time is that an entire nation is openly interfering with another nation’s elections just so they could elect a leader that would support their long-term goals.
Day by day, China is getting bolder. It seems like their government isn’t even trying to hide the fact that they are backing hacking agencies to target other countries. Instances of cyber attacks backed by China are also at an all-time high, necessitating prompt actions from other global leaders.
Read more: Chinese hackers plan to wreak havoc in the US, warns the FBI
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