China is using artificial intelligence to step up its fake news campaign amid the US election

The Asian czar of the Biden administration woke up one morning in 2022 to a long article in the local press about the US’s management of chemical and biological laboratories in Ukraine, a claim that Washington calls a lie. Started by Russia, the false and incendiary claim has been vigorously amplified by China’s vast overseas propaganda apparatus.

It was another example of “clearly effective disinformation by Russia and China,” Campbell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July.

Two years later, the claim still reverberates online, demonstrating China’s extensive effort to reshape global perceptions. The campaign, which costs many billions a year, is becoming increasingly sophisticated thanks to artificial intelligence. China’s operations have drawn the attention of intelligence analysts and policymakers in Washington, who are vowing to fight any actions that could influence the November election or undermine American interests.

The key tactic: networks of websites claiming to be legitimate news outlets, offering pro-China coverage that often parallels official statements and positions from Beijing.

Shannon Van Sant, an adviser to the Hong Kong Foundation Freedom Committee, tracked down a network of dozens of websites posing as news organizations. One site imitated The New York Times, using a similar font and design in what she called an attempt at legitimacy. The site carried strongly pro-Chinese messages.

When Van Sant probed the site’s reporters, he found no information. Their names did not belong to any known journalists working in China, and their photos showed telltale signs of being created with AI.

“Manipulation of the media is ultimately a manipulation of readers and audiences, and this damages democracy and society,” Van Sant said.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in the US, said allegations that China is using news websites and social media to spread pro-Beijing information and influence US public opinion “are full of bad speculation intended against China, which China strongly opposes”.

In addition to state media, Beijing has turned to foreign players — real or not — to deliver messages and lend credibility to narratives that favor the Communist Party, said Xiao Qiang, a researcher at the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley. . . Xiao is also the editor-in-chief of China Digital Times, a bilingual news site that gathers information from and about China.

Beijing’s methods are broad and ties to the government are often difficult to prove, Xiao said. But whether it’s journalists with American-sounding names or an Indian influencer, the consistently pro-Beijing messages deliver.

“The underlying message is the same — that the Chinese Communist Party works for its people,” Xiao said.

Analysts at cyber security firm Logically identified 1,200 websites that carried articles from Russian or Chinese state media. The sites often target a specific audience and have names that sound like traditional news organizations or defunct newspapers.

Unlike Russia or Iran, which have shown clear preferences in the US presidential campaign, Beijing is more cautious and focuses on spreading positive content about China.

Although the sites are not owned by China, they run Chinese content. When Logical looked at content specifically about the US election, 20% could be traced to Chinese or Russian state media.

“There’s a decent likelihood that these articles will influence the US audience without them even knowing where it’s coming from,” said Alex Nelson, Logical’s senior manager of strategy and analytics.

According to the Gallup World Poll, more countries surveyed view the U.S. positively, but the share of countries with generally negative views of both the U.S. and China is higher than 15 years ago, indicating that the U.S. does not seem to be getting earnings. China.

Some US officials want to increase spending to level the playing field. The House of Representatives this month approved a bill that would authorize $325 million annually through 2027 to counter China’s global influence, including its disinformation campaigns. The measure still needs Senate approval.

“We’re in a global competition for influence with China, and if you want to win it, then you can’t do it with a middle-power budget,” said Representative Gregory Meeks, a Democrat from New York.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a systematic accumulation of Chinese narratives that would give his country a global voice “commensurate” with its international stature.

Beijing has invested in state media, such as the Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television, to deliver its messages to global audiences in different languages ​​and platforms. Local media groups are creating “international communication centers” to build a presence abroad with websites, news channels and social media accounts.

Beijing has also forged partnerships with the global media, and the article Campbell read in Solomon Islands is likely a result of these.

China’s expansion is linked to the global race for economic dominance in electric vehicles, computer chips, AI and quantum computing, said Jaret Riddick, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technologies.

“Countries that lead on emerging technologies will be the countries that will have a big advantage in the future,” Riddick said.

To tell its story, Beijing has not shied away from using fake personas. A 2023 State Department report detailed the case of a published writer named Yi Fan, initially described as a Chinese foreign ministry analyst. Yi turned into a journalist, then became an independent analyst.

Yi’s details have changed, but the message has not. Through commentary and published writings, Yi has trumpeted close ties between China and Africa, praised Beijing’s approach to environmental sustainability and argued that China must counter distorted Western narratives.

Then there was Wilson Edwards, a supposed Swiss virologist cited in Chinese media as an expert on COVID-19, who criticized the US response. But Swiss officials found no evidence of his existence.

“If you exist, we’d love to meet you!” The Swiss Embassy in Beijing wrote on social networks.