- By Vikas Yadav
- Fri, 05 Apr 2024 04:58 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India is among the countries that will head out to vote in the national elections alongside the US and South Korea this year. Ahead of these prominent polls, tech giant Microsoft has shared that China is using fraudulent social accounts to influence the results of the presidential election in the US. The country is also resorting to generative AI to hamper the electoral process. For the unaware, India's voting process spans seven phases between April 19 to June 1, 2024.
According to a Microsoft blog authored by Clint Watts - General Manager, Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, the amount of AI-generated content from Chinese sources has increased in recent months and the country is refining its influence operations attacks. The content used can include videos, memes, infographics and more. Apart from original content, Storm-1376 (the most prolific group) used fake AI audio, memes, and AI-generated TV news anchors to further its endeavour.
"Microsoft and OpenAI have observed the North Korean actor we call Emerald Sleet using tools powered by AI large-language models (LLMs) to make their operations more effective and efficient. Microsoft partnered with OpenAI to disable accounts and assets associated with Emerald Sleet," the company noted.
"With major elections taking place around the world this year, particularly in India, South Korea and the United States, we assess that China will, at a minimum, create and amplify AI-generated content to benefit its interests," Microsoft added. While the tech giant noted the chances to influence the process are low, the increased experimentation may prove more effective than before.
In an example shared by Microsoft, videos (of AI anchors) of Storm-1376 claimed that India and the US were responsible for unrest in Myanmar. These were generated using TikTok owner ByteDance's CapCut tool. Apart from China, North Korean cyber actors may also target the electoral process to some extent.
