Warning from Microsoft: Chinese hackers to disrupt India elections with AI-generated content

The Microsoft Threat Analysis team has issued a warning regarding China’s use of AI-generated content to influence elections in countries like India, South Korea, and the US. According to the tech giant, China is amplifying memes, videos, and audio to benefit its interests and sow division among voters.

China’s increasing experimentation in creating and spreading AI-generated content may prove more effective in the long run, despite the current low probability of impacting election results. The country is using fake social media accounts to poll voters on divisive issues and potentially influence the outcome of the US presidential election in its favor.

The Chinese Communist Party-affiliated actors have been posing controversial questions on US domestic issues through deceptive social media accounts to gather intelligence on key voting demographics ahead of the presidential election. China’s geopolitical priorities remain constant, but the country has intensified its influence operations attacks, including using AI to further its goals.

In January, China-affiliated cyber criminals significantly utilized AI-generated content during the Taiwanese presidential election. This marked the first instance of a nation-state actor using AI content to influence a foreign election, as per the Microsoft Threat Intelligence team’s observation. The team has warned about China’s increased sophistication in its influence operations and the use of AI for more effective operations.