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”.

  • Shiggles@sh.itjust.works
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    7 months ago

    Realistically, while Trump might be more outwardly “anti-china”, he’s also anti-america, so it’s a net gain for them.

    • highduc@lemmy.ml
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      7 months ago

      But he’s not just outwardly anti China, he is actually anti China - judging by actions not words! - the tariffs he imposed and the trade war he started.

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        china is playing the long game here.

        Trump is most likely to completely destabilize the US, at which point there goes any US support for Taiwan. Which probably means they can roll Taiwan without foreign interference.

        Trump’s economic stances are fucking stupid and don’t hurt China at all.

      • UsernameHere@lemmings.world
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        7 months ago

        Trump wants to pull the US out of NATO and weaken our alliance with our allies like he did in his first term.

        Trump also hamstrung our government so they got even less done than normal.

        Not to mention Trump would abandon Ukraine allowing Russia to steamroll them.

        These are just a few of the benefits they get from Trump. There are many more.

      • norbert@kbin.social
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        7 months ago

        The tariffs that U.S. citizens pay while the rest of the world doesn’t? I’m not sure that hurts China in the longterm.

        • Pennomi@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          It does, because the US is moving much of its manufacturing away from China. That’s a shit ton of lost revenue.

          • norbert@kbin.social
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            7 months ago

            The rest of the world is quickly stepping into the 21st century and China is ready to manufacture whatever they need.

            See also: the massive amounts of capital China is pouring into renewable energy investments in Africa. While U.S. oil companies drag their feet and blow smoke about how bad solar/wind is.