Microsoft says that China is dividing the US using AI

According to the most recent report from Microsoft’s threat center, China is increasing its use of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content and phony social media accounts to sow discord both domestically and internationally.

According to a report released late Thursday by Clint Watts, general manager of Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, Beijing has “doubled down” on targets and enhanced the sophistication of its influence operations.

“China is using fake social media accounts to poll voters on what divides them most to sow division and possibly influence the outcome of the US presidential election in its favor,” Watts said in the report.

“China has also increased its use of AI-generated content to further its goals around the world” as well as in the US.

The report claims that Chinese influence operations persist in “opportunistically jumping” on incidents like wildfires in Maui and a train derailing in Kentucky to sow doubt about the US government.

The polling about controversial US domestic issues “indicates a deliberate effort to understand better which US voter demographic supports what issue or position and which topics are the most divisive, ahead of the main phase of the US presidential election,” Watts wrote.

According to the report’s findings, there isn’t much proof that influence operations have been effective in changing people’s beliefs thus far.

Late last year, the Threat Center released a study claiming that social media accounts “affiliated” with the Chinese government had impersonated US voters in order to influence the 2022 midterm elections.

“This activity has continued and these accounts nearly exclusively post about divisive US domestic issues such as global warming, US border policies, drug use, immigration, and racial tensions,” Watts wrote.

“They use original videos, memes, and infographics as well as recycled content from other high-profile political accounts.”

According to Watts, Microsoft witnessed a spike in the usage of AI-generated content to support China-linked internet influence operations targeted at the January presidential election in Taiwan.

“With major elections taking place around the world this year, particularly in India, South Korea and the United States, we assess that China will, at a minimum, create and amplify AI-generated content to benefit its interests,” Watts wrote.

In addition, North Korea has started to employ AI to attack supply networks, steal cryptocurrency, and more efficiently obtain military intelligence, according to a Microsoft assessment.

AFP