Microsoft warns of China using AI to influence U.S. elections
At the same time that the technology company published the report, it was announced that Senators Hawley and Blumenthal would present a bill to regulate AI.
(Voz Media / Unsplash)
Microsoft's Threat Analysis Center released a report accusing China of using artificial intelligence (AI) to interfere in U.S. elections.
The goal of the new technology, which the communist regime has been perfecting over the past year, is to create controversial content on politically divisive topics such as race and gun violence.
The advantage of AI is that it generates, they explained, eye-catching content that easily goes viral. It has already been proven effective since pro-China operators began using it last March:
The technology experts explained that, until now, China's disinformation and influence campaigns were based mainly on producing a high volume of content.
Statue of Liberty generated by Artificial Intelligence
Artificial-intelligence-generated image of the Statue of Liberty. The figure has more than five fingers, a common mistake in images created by an AI. (Microsoft Security Compliance and Identity Report)
According to the report, the Chinese strategy also includes publishing content posing as American voters and deploying real users, such as influencers sympathetic to the Communist Party.
The ranks of influencers "recruited, trained, promoted, and funded" by China are constantly swelling: "In 2022 and 2023, new influencers continue to debut every seven weeks on average."
In addition, they create content in several languages: Persian, Turkish, Arabic, Hebrew, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Greek, Italian, Swahili and, of course, English and Spanish.
The operation also includes websites that pretend to be independent media, especially oriented to the Chinese diaspora.
Digital Threats From East Asia Increase in Breadth and Effectiveness (Microsoft) by Santiago Adolfo Ospital on Scribd
The Senate concerned about AI
Microsoft's report came at the same time the Senate was holding a hearing on AI. "AI has the potential to add trillions of dollars into the world economy each year. Governments and companies around the world are competing fiercely in this new market," Rep. Joe Manchin said in his opening statement. "In particular, America must accelerate our efforts to compete with and defend against China on AI."
That same day it was learned that Republican Senator Josh Hawley and his Democratic counterpart Richard Blumenthal will present a bill to regulate artificial intelligence.
The initiative will include security standards, transparency and licensing requirements, among others. In addition, according to the New York Times, it would create an independent federal office to oversee the technology.
As reported by Axios, the bipartisan measure will also include provisions on China:
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