By Sam Garcia / Staff writer, with CNA
With the local elections approaching, academics yesterday urged the government to develop filters for artificial intelligence (AI) content and improve public media literacy, saying that Beijing increasingly uses low-cost AI tools to spread disinformation.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) held a forum yesterday on Chinese election interference, inviting experts to discuss common tactics and appropriate responses.
China is interfering in Taiwan’s elections by spreading information that is “30 percent true and 70 percent false,” DPP secretary-general Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said, calling on experts to examine how China uses AI and big data to influence public perception.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secretary-general Hsu Kuo-yung, center, gestures along with panelists at a forum hosted by the DPP in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
China’s short-term goal is to influence election outcomes, while its long-term goal is to deepen social division and erode trust in democracy, said professor Yeh Yao-yuan (葉耀元), chair of international studies at the University of St Thomas in Houston, Texas.
In addition to military pressure, China seeks to influence Taiwanese voters by spreading disinformation, manipulating public opinion and infiltrating social networks, pushing them to make political decisions in an environment full of unreliable information, Yeh said.
In July, the US government discovered that China had stolen 220 million US voter registration records, he said.
Given enough time to analyze it, China could identify which issues to focus on to target voters in different regions, he said, warning that Taiwan needs to enhance its safeguards.
Beijing has pivoted toward using AI to generate large volumes of text and images to interfere with elections, Shih Hsin University communications professor Liu Yu-hsi (劉玉皙) said.
For example, several Chinese immigrants registered to run for borough wardens this year, but many of their online campaign graphics contain numerous errors, Liu said.
China’s main goal is to erode the nation’s sovereignty, Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association secretary-general Arthur Wang (王智盛) said.
China previously relied on verbal attacks and military threats, then turned to economic inducements in 2008 before focusing on disinformation from 2016 to 2018, Wang said.
Now its tactics have shifted to targeted election interference aimed at deepening divisions and antagonism within Taiwanese society, he said.
The government should establish AI databases and filtering systems, and improve media literacy education, Wang said.
People should learn how China uses AI to infiltrate everyday life, so they can identify and verify such information, he said.
People should be suspicious of information from unknown sources or that is designed to provoke an emotional response, DPP China Affairs Director Wu Jun-zhi (吳峻鋕) said, recommending checking sources and cross-checking facts with reputable media outlets.