China is ramping up use of AI-generated content and fake social media accounts to inflame division in the United States and elsewhere, according to the latest report from Microsoft’s threat center.
Beijing has “doubled down” on targets and increased sophistication of its influence operations, Microsoft threat analysis center general manager Clint Watts said in a report released late Thursday.
“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.
Chinese influence operations continue to “opportunistically jump” on events such as a train derailment in Kentucky and wildfires in Maui to promote mistrust of the US government, according to the report.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.
