this post was submitted on 05 Apr 2024
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Beijing did a test run in Taiwan using AI-generated content to influence voters away from a pro-sovereignty candidate

China will attempt to disrupt elections in the US, South Korea and India this year with artificial intelligence-generated content after making a dry run with the presidential poll in Taiwan, Microsoft has warned.

The US tech firm said it expected Chinese state-backed cyber groups to target high-profile elections in 2024, with North Korea also involved, according to a report by the company’s threat intelligence team published on Friday.

“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 cyber actors, work toward targeting these elections,” the report reads.

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”.

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[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 51 points 7 months ago (2 children)

“We know because we helped them build the ai.”

[–] jaybone@lemmy.world 18 points 7 months ago (1 children)

“Well, you see, it all started while we were meeting to discuss how to remove the tiananmen square massacre from our search results…”

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 34 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I mean, you’ve all heard of the tank man massacre?

But have you heard of the rubber ducky man massacre?

(Just a little quick backstory, that was a photoshop to get past the censorship in China.)

[–] sirico@feddit.uk 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

That was a spicy ticket to close

[–] Assman@sh.itjust.works 2 points 7 months ago
[–] jaschen@lemm.ee 49 points 7 months ago (2 children)

We saw that shit here in Taiwan. Fake AI content that was circulating Line messenger and TikTok.

[–] rayyy@lemmy.world 40 points 7 months ago (5 children)

TikTok

TikTok seems so innocent but people do not understand how nefariously TikTok can be used. Most folks are are defenseless targets because they are not attuned to how psyops has been successfully used against them already.

[–] jaschen@lemm.ee 15 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It's super targeted. I really wish they would ban it here like they are trying in the US.

[–] TWeaK@lemm.ee 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

It’s super targeted.

Exactly, and that's also why it's so effective. You can say whatever lies you like if you only say them to the people who will lap it up, there's and no chance for anyone else to correct them as they don't even hear the lie.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 2 points 7 months ago (3 children)

I honestly don't see how it's worse than say YouTube, for example. Instead of spoonfeeding conspiracy shit to everyone, it only ends up with the tiny pool who wants it. Youtube on the other hand pushes right wing BS to me every third recommendation.

[–] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Agreed. I could argue that facebook is even more targetted as well. I never understood why tiktok gets so much more hate than the rest.

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[–] Ragnarok314159@sopuli.xyz 1 points 7 months ago

Same. I use YouTube for fix-it and hobby videos, occasionally a game review. I get all sorts of right wing bullshit videos suggested to me. The right is spending a lot of money to steer people that way.

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[–] jeremyparker@programming.dev 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

So like uh I'm not trying to out myself as a boomer but how do they use Tiktok nefariously? I used it for about 5 minutes once, the whole experience was just not for me. Do they just take people's videos and put captions on them?

[–] SlothMama@lemmy.world 14 points 7 months ago

No, opinion and ideas are insulated and picked by algorithms so that, out of the available content, they also feed you videos about specific topics and agendas, and suppress slightly the ideas and agendas they aren't trying to push.

It's subtle, but you don't need to fool an individual quickly, you only need to incrementally modify opinions on a grand scale. People won't notice, and see these as organic and natural shifts in the ideas and opinions of their peers.

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[–] xnx@slrpnk.net 4 points 7 months ago

If only we had similar ways to fight it similar to the g0v movement in Taiwan so people can check whether something is fake through a repository of reported “news”

[–] Socsa@sh.itjust.works 28 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Hexbear servers aren't going to pay for themselves.

[–] fuckingkangaroos@lemm.ee 8 points 7 months ago

And Lemmy.ml

[–] Immersive_Matthew@sh.itjust.works 18 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Not defending the CCP, but I would submit that every country is using AI to undermine other nations including their own.

[–] 1bluepixel@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Yep. There's a tendency to single out China's bad behavior for stuff other world powers (including the U.S. for sure) also do.

A great example is China's meddling in Canadian politics these last few years. An ex-RCMP official pointed out that a lot of other countries do it, including allies. He singled out Russia and India, but also the U.S. (I mean, how could the U.S. not try to influence their neighbors' politics.)

But China makes the headlines, every single time.

[–] wurzelgummidge@lemmy.world 10 points 7 months ago

The US has been meddling in other countries elections for the last hundred years, and if they don't get their way they impose sanctions, organise a coups and commence other destabilisation efforts.

I suspect that the end is coming for misinformation as AI is making it easier and easier to spread, which is having the effect of simply forcing people to actually think for themselves.

[–] noxy@yiffit.net 14 points 7 months ago (1 children)

China will disrupt elections in the US, South Korea and India, Microsoft warns

better headline

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 4 points 7 months ago (1 children)

But AI is scary, it's like an assault weapon. No one knows what it actually is, but feared nonetheless.

[–] petrol_sniff_king@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

... Image generation. Fabricated stories. Lies. Really?

You don't see the potential for an automated evidence and witness account system to deluge the public sphere with "proof" that Cornel West, or whoever your favorite is, is running a pedophile ring in a pizza parlor basement?

You know how many times I've seen a picture and thought "ah. huh." before later having it pointed out to me that, yes, actually, the hands are kinda fucked up. And you think this has no greater potential for swaying what stupid bullshit the average voter believes in.

—Actually, clear something up for me.

Do you believe in the power of generative AI to uplift and strengthen what today's working people are capable of achieving—as a business tool. The same way the Internet revolutionized commerce and international business dealing.

Or do you believe it is simple, ineffective toy software, feared for no reason, and with no greater appeal than hobbyists looking to spice up their DnD character sheets.

Do you believe that AI generated images are "art" and that "prompt writing" should be recognized as a skill equal to that of a brush, only faster?

Or do you believe that a state would find it so useless it wouldn't even make the strategy meeting for their next election cycle.

It's a wide and diverse spectrum, I'm sure. Please, illuminate me.

[–] Ultragigagigantic@lemmy.world 11 points 7 months ago (1 children)

"The Chinese oligarchs are taking over!" - US oligarchs probably

[–] HeadfullofSoup@kbin.earth 7 points 7 months ago

China and russia and probably anyone that can will because at least half of the US are dumb af and if the US if fighting between them then they can do everything they want elsewhere and if a already corrupt puppet like trump get elected? Bonus

[–] hark@lemmy.world 7 points 7 months ago

Billionaires will completely control elections with or without AI.

[–] BurningnnTree@lemmy.one 6 points 7 months ago (4 children)

This may be a dumb question, but does China want Trump or Biden to win? Or are they more interested in just amplifying political/social division?

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 10 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I've only seen references to them dishing out pro trump misinfo, but I expect that's because its the most expedient way to amplify division and it hedges against a trump victory by appealing to his narcissism

[–] Ragnarok314159@sopuli.xyz 3 points 7 months ago

America under Trump will all but collapse, which opens up a massive void that China will be happy to fill.

Trump will destroy America for a few strokes of his ego.

[–] skulblaka@startrek.website 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Every foreign adversary wants Trump to win because it's obvious to everyone in the world that he's going to cause the collapse of America. When America keels over, a power vacuum opens up.

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[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

In Canada they are more interested in amplifying division

They want minority governments so we are slower to react

For the US I imagine that is having a different Senate or House/Executive

[–] jeremyparker@programming.dev 5 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Trump took a LOT of money in gifts from China while in office so I would guess they like him

Edit to add source. There are lots more articles, this is far from the only one

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/04/us/politics/trump-hotels-foreign-business-report.html

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

AI? Pfft. Real manly men who ride bears with no shirt on know how to disrupt elections all by themselves. With their own two oligarchs!

[–] TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

There are a lot of Americans who think they understand China really well, but I'm not sure they do.

[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 11 points 7 months ago (11 children)

“Nation seeks to weaken rival” isn’t very difficult to process. Or are you referring to people with a romanticized view of China?

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