&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘All-new level of conflict’: AI is making foreign propaganda cheaper, faster and harder to detect - All you need to know")
The rise of generative AI is fuelling a new wave of disinformation campaigns that are increasingly difficult to spot. Experts warn that foreign powers, including Russia and China, are using these tools to influence elections and deepen political divides in the United States.
“We are seeing now an ability to both develop and deliver at an efficiency, at a speed, at a scale that we’ve never seen before,” said Gen. Paul Nakasone, former head of the NSA and now director of the Vanderbilt Institute, during the DEF CON hacker conference earlier this month. This surge in AI-driven disinformation coincides with the US government's scaling back of efforts to counter influence campaigns, thereby shifting more responsibility to private firms and researchers.
Chinese firm accused of running covert AI operations
Leaked documents suggest that Chinese technology company GoLaxy has been using generative AI to create disinformation networks in Taiwan and Hong Kong. According to researchers at Vanderbilt University, the firm mined social media profiles to create synthetic personas that could “feel authentic, adapt in real-time and avoid detection.” These personas were allegedly used in the lead-up to the 2024 Taiwanese election and to defend Beijing’s national security law in Hong Kong. GoLaxy has denied the allegations.
Fake profiles targeting US politicians
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The leaked documents also claim that GoLaxy built fake profiles for at least 117 members of Congress and over 2,000 American political figures. These synthetic accounts, powered by AI tools such as DeepSeek’s open-source reasoning model, were able to mimic real people and adapt their messaging to target specific audiences.
‘A new level of conflict’
“This is a whole new level of grey zone conflict. We need to figure out how to get ahead of it,” said Brett Goldstein, a researcher at Vanderbilt and former director of the Defence Digital Service. Generative AI also helps adversaries overcome language barriers that once made fake campaigns easier to identify.
Russia and China’s playbook
Russia has long been more successful at spreading influence abroad, using tactics such as bot farms and planting fake stories in legitimate outlets. China, however, has been catching up quickly with the help of advanced AI. Nakasone warned that generative AI is making it “exponentially easier” for Beijing to create convincing, high-engagement content.
