In a report published on Friday by Microsoft's threat intelligence team, the US tech giant anticipates state-backed Chinese cyber groups, possibly with involvement from North Korea, targeting high-profile elections in 2024.
Microsoft has sounded the alarm, cautioning about China's plans to disrupt elections in the US, South Korea, and India this year using artificial intelligence-generated content. The warning comes after China's trial run during Taiwan's presidential election.
In a report published on Friday by Microsoft's threat intelligence team, the US tech giant anticipates state-backed Chinese cyber groups, possibly with involvement from North Korea, targeting high-profile elections in 2024.
The report foresees China utilising AI-generated content distributed via social media platforms to influence these elections, despite the current low impact of such content.
Microsoft emphasised that China's experimentation with AI-made content could become more effective in the future.
The report underscored China's previous attempt to influence the Taiwan presidential election in January, where a Beijing-backed group called Storm 1376 used AI-generated memes and fake audio content to discredit certain candidates, marking the first instance of such interference.
Furthermore, Microsoft highlighted ongoing Chinese influence campaigns in the US, where social media platforms are used to pose divisive questions and gather intelligence on key voting demographics ahead of elections.
This warning coincides with recent revelations of cybersecurity breaches attributed to state-backed Chinese cyber operators. Last month, the US and UK governments accused China-backed hackers of conducting a prolonged cyber campaign targeting politicians, journalists, and businesses.
The alert from Microsoft emphasises growing concerns about the use of AI in election interference, stressing the need for heightened vigilance against such threats.
As elections approach in various countries, safeguarding electoral processes from foreign interference remains a critical challenge.
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