TAIPEI (Reuters) – China is using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to ramp up disinformation against Taiwan to “divide” Taiwan’s public, the island’s National Security Bureau said.
Taiwan has accused China of stepping up military drills, trade sanctions and influence campaigns against the island in recent years to force the island to accept Chinese sovereignty claims. Taiwan strongly rejects China’s sovereignty claims.
China staged two days of war games and live-fire drills near the democratically governed island this month, triggering concern by the United States and many of its allies.
In a report to parliament, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, the security bureau said it had detected more than half a million pieces of “controversial messages” so far this year, mostly seen on social media platforms including Facebook and TikTok.
Beijing has targeted sensitive moments such as President Lai Ching-te’s speech on China last month or chipmaker TSMC’s announcement of new U.S. investment to launch what the report said was “cognitive warfare”, adding such efforts were “designed to create division among our society.”
“As the application of AI technology becomes more widespread and mature, it has also been found that the Chinese Communist Party has been using AI tools to assist in the generation and dissemination of controversial messages,” the report said.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment.
The report said China has also ramped up its “grey-zone” tactics against Taiwan, with a sharp increase so far this year in the number of Chinese coast guard incursions as well as air balloons in Taiwan’s waters and airspace.
Those moves have forced Taiwan to dispatch its own forces in response and depleted its resources, the report said.
Lai, who says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future, in March labelled China a “foreign hostile force”.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under Chinese control.
(Reporting By Yimou Lee; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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