China will try and disrupt elections within the US, South Korea and India this 12 months with synthetic intelligence-generated content material after making a dry run with the presidential ballot in Taiwan, Microsoft has warned.

The US tech agency stated it anticipated Chinese state-backed cyber teams to focus on high-profile elections in 2024, with North Korea additionally concerned, based on a report by the corporate’s risk intelligence workforce revealed 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 stated that “at a minimum” China will create and distribute via social media AI-generated content material that “benefits their positions in these high-profile elections”.

The firm added that the impression of AI-made content material was minor however warned that might change.

“While the impact of such content in swaying audiences remains low, China’s increasing experimentation in augmenting memes, videos and audio will continue – and may prove effective down the line,” stated Microsoft.

Microsoft stated within the report that China had already tried an AI-generated disinformation marketing campaign within the Taiwan presidential election in January. The firm stated this was the primary time it had seen a state-backed entity utilizing AI-made content material in a bid to affect a overseas election.

A Beijing-backed group referred to as Storm 1376, also referred to as Spamouflage or Dragonbridge, was extremely lively through the Taiwanese election. Its makes an attempt to affect the election included posting pretend audio on YouTube of the election candidate Terry Gou – who had bowed out in November – endorsing one other candidate. Microsoft stated the clip was “likely AI generated”. YouTube eliminated the content material earlier than it reached many customers.

The Beijing-backed group pushed a sequence of AI-generated memes in regards to the finally profitable candidate, William Lai – a pro-sovereignty candidate opposed by Beijing – that levelled baseless claims in opposition to Lai accusing him of embezzling state funds. There was additionally an elevated use of AI-generated TV information anchors, a tactic that has also been used by Iran, with the “anchor” making unsubstantiated claims about Lai’s personal life together with fathering illegitimate kids.

Microsoft stated the information anchors had been created by the CapCut software, which is developed by Chinese firm ByteDance, the proprietor of TikTok.

Microsoft added that Chinese teams proceed to mount affect campaigns within the US. It stated Beijing-backed actors are utilizing social media accounts to pose “divisive questions” and try to know points dividing US voters.

“This could be to gather intelligence and precision on key voting demographics ahead of the US Presidential election,” stated Microsoft in a weblog publish accompanying the report.

One publish on X, previously Twitter, referred to a $118bn bipartisan bill within the US that mixed a $20bn of funding within the US-Mexico border with a $75bn bundle for Ukraine and Israel. It requested: “What’s your reaction?” Another flagged the loss of an F-35 fighter in South Carolina final 12 months, saying “only under the Biden administration” may a priceless piece of army {hardware} be misplaced – though particles was discovered quickly after – and requested “what do you think about this?”

The report was revealed in the identical week {that a} White House-appointed official review board stated “a cascade of errors” by Microsoft let state-backed Chinese cyber operators break into electronic mail accounts of senior US officers. Last month, the US and UK governments accused China-backed hackers of waging a years-long cyber marketing campaign focusing on politicians, journalists and companies, in addition to the UK’s election watchdog.