China has cultivated TikTok influencers in Taiwan and elsewhere to spread specific disinformation, using government-related accounts and generative AI. Leading up to Taiwan’s election in January, Chinese efforts included using Taiwanese voices and influencers to push disinformation streams. The Taiwanese Information Environment Research Center found that influencers on the site likely had some coordination with Chinese actors.
China relies on various conspiratorial themes in their messaging, such as portraying the United States as attempting to build bioweapons labs on Taiwan. Efforts also included using generative AI to create fake videos and deepfake videos to influence opinions during the election. China is able to target specific individuals with posts and disinformation threads using big data and third-party data.
China still relies on local human “collaborators” to make specific posts on social media convincing, rather than sounding like bots. However, the wider adoption of AI, particularly large language models, could greatly improve the effectiveness of China’s disinformation campaigns in English-speaking countries.
