China will use content generated through artificial intelligence (AI) to try and disrupt upcoming Lok Sabha polls in India, along with other elections happening in countries like the United States and South Korea, a report released by Microsoft Friday said.
Microsoft said that “at a minimum” China will create and distribute through social media AI-generated content that “benefits their positions in these high-profile elections”. And while the chances of such content affecting election results remain low, the company said that China’s increasing experimentation in augmenting memes, videos, and audio will likely continue, “and may prove more effective down the line”. These are among the Microsoft Threat Intelligence insights in a report titled ‘Same targets, new playbooks: East Asia threat actors employ unique methods’ published by the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC).
While no official statement has been issued on the matter, Election Commission of India mentioned the spread of false claims through a tweet. “False claim: 15 lakh EVMs missing. Reality; claim is misleading and fake. Facts are twisted and presented selectively”, read the tweet.
he tech giant pointed out that such AI-generated content could also make an impact on elections in countries like the United States and South Korea. According to Microsoft, China is likely to produce and circulate AI-generated content through social media platforms to manupulate public opinion in its favor during the elections. The content will be in the form of memes, audio and videos, aiming to support China’s positions. It is further assumed that however, the possibility of affecting the general elections by these things would be possibly low.
Campaigns influenced by China have been evolving, particularly in the world of AI-generated or AI-enhanced content. China’s targets could go far beyond Taiwan this year, Microsoft warned. The company said that it has observed “several notable cyber and influence trends from China and North Korea since June 2023 that demonstrate not only doubling down on familiar targets, but also attempts to use more sophisticated influence techniques to achieve their goals”.
Microsoft observed that these campaigns are becoming more sophisticated in their efforts to manipulate and they are not only escalating AI-generated media but also creating their memes, videos, and audio content to advance strategic narratives.
Join our whatsapp group for Latest updates