WIDER REACH:
Beijing’s efforts to form overseas public opinion might be discovered on greater than social media; additionally they embrace print, radio and tv, a report stated
-
By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Workers reporter
Chinese language researchers are exploring methods to make use of synthetic intelligence (AI) instruments reminiscent of ChatGPT to control world audiences, probably together with their perceptions of Taiwan, a RAND Corp research discovered.
The US-based assume tank printed the report The Rise of Generative AI and the Coming Period of Social Media Manipulation 3.0 on Thursday final week discussing potential threats to US nationwide safety posed by actors misusing generative AI applied sciences, with a give attention to China.
Though no proof has proven that Beijing is utilizing AI to generate and publish content material on social media, it’s the consensus amongst unbiased researchers and quite a lot of governments that the Chinese language authorities is conducting social media manipulation, the report stated.
Photograph: Reuters
“AI gives the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] the potential to meet longstanding wishes to form the worldwide dialog about itself and China extra broadly,” the report stated.
It cited research that pointed to Beijing’s try to intrude in Taiwan’s 2018 presidential election via social media manipulation.
New techniques emerged afterward, together with utilizing content material farms to supply quite a few false or deceptive content material, shopping for established Taiwanese social media accounts and allegedly paying Taiwanese influencers to unfold pro-Beijing narratives, it stated.
These efforts won’t have a major affect on election outcomes, however appear to be “worsening Taiwanese political and social polarization and widening perceived generational divides,” it stated.
Using AI would possibly additional enhance the authenticity of China-produced content material, in addition to scale back the cash and the labor required to supply it, that means it might attain additional and wider, the report stated.
With China’s know-how ecosystem and robust authorities help, no less than 30 Chinese language firms, universities and analysis establishments have been creating generative AI fashions as of April, it stated.
By rising its technical functionality in creating massive language fashions, on which OpenAI’s ChatGPT relies, educated primarily on Chinese language-language knowledge, the Chinese language authorities would possibly purchase ample functionality to conduct social media manipulation on each home and overseas scales, the report stated.
Beijing’s efforts to form overseas public opinion might be discovered on greater than social media platforms, additionally they embrace print, radio and tv, it stated, including that “utilizing generative AI for such content material at scale can be a pure development of CCP efforts.”
Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga, one of many authors of the report, instructed Protection One on Thursday final week that “logically the subsequent goal for China can be the Taiwanese [2024 presidential] election” by way of manipulating public opinion.
The Website online stated that social media platforms “aren’t properly positioned to protect towards” China’s efforts to conduct large-scale manipulation utilizing generative AI.
Feedback shall be moderated. Preserve feedback related to the article. Remarks containing abusive and obscene language, private assaults of any sort or promotion shall be eliminated and the person banned. Closing resolution shall be on the discretion of the Taipei Occasions.
