India is preparing for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, scheduled to be conducted in seven phases, with the first phase commencing on April 19, 2024. Just days before the General Elections, Microsoft has issued a concerning warning, making startling claims. According to the tech giant, China is plotting to disrupt the Indian polls, as well as the US Presidential Elections 2024 and other elections worldwide, utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI). Here’s the essence of Microsoft’s cautionary message…
Microsoft Issues Warning: China Planning to Disrupt Lok Sabha Elections 2024
In a significant revelation, Microsoft has warned that China is gearing up to disrupt the forthcoming Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in India, alongside the US Presidential Elections and other global electoral processes, utilizing AI. This cautionary note follows China’s trial manipulation of the Taiwan Presidential Elections, where AI played a role in influencing the election outcome.
Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Team Alert
As per reports from NDTV, Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Team has indicated that cyber groups affiliated with China will target elections worldwide in 2024. The tech company suggests that China might leverage AI-generated content on social media platforms to manipulate or sway public opinion in favor of their national interests. Microsoft stated, “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.”
AI’s Role in Taiwan Elections by China
In the trial run during the Taiwan Elections, China significantly employed AI influence. The Beijing-backed group, Storm 1736, circulated fabricated audio endorsements and memes targeting specific candidates. Microsoft elaborated, “Storm-1376 has promoted a series of AI-generated memes of Taiwan’s then-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate William Lai, and other Taiwanese officials as well as Chinese dissidents around the world. These have included an increasing use of AI-generated TV news anchors that Storm-1376 has deployed since at least February 2023.” The potential AI-driven disruptions in Indian elections primarily involve deceptive and false content, deepfakes, and other methods aimed at discrediting candidates.
