China will use AI to disrupt elections in the US, South Korea and India, Microsoft warns
- Microsoft has warned that China plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to disrupt elections in the US, South Korea, and India after testing the method in Taiwan.
- Chinese state-backed cyber groups, along with North Korean cyber actors, are expected to target high-profile elections in 2024, according to Microsoft’s threat intelligence team.
- China is likely to create and distribute AI-generated content through social media to benefit their positions in these elections.
- While the impact of AI-generated content on swaying audiences remains low, Microsoft warned that China’s increasing experimentation in this area could prove effective in the future.
- China previously attempted an AI-generated disinformation campaign during the Taiwan presidential election in January, marking the first known instance of a state-backed entity using AI-made content to influence a foreign election.
- The Beijing-backed group Storm 1376 was active during the Taiwanese election, using AI-generated memes and fake audio to influence the election in favor of a candidate opposed by Beijing.
- Chinese groups are also mounting influence campaigns in the US, using social media accounts to pose divisive questions and gather intelligence on key voting demographics ahead of the US Presidential election.
- This report comes in the same week as a White House-appointed official review board’s findings that “a cascade of errors” by Microsoft allowed state-backed Chinese cyber operators to break into email accounts of senior US officials.
- Last month, the US and UK governments accused China-backed hackers of waging a years-long cyber campaign targeting politicians, journalists, businesses, and the UK’s election watchdog.
- The use of AI-generated content and cyber operations to influence elections has raised concerns about foreign interference and the security of democratic processes.
