Generative AI reshaping China’s social media influence operations

Taiwan Current News (TCN), in partnership with the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), has launched a new podcast series, Taiwan Frontlines, to track global trends and explore how Taiwan connects with the world.

In the latest episode, the program features Ethan Tu, founder of Taiwan AI Labs, discussing artificial intelligence and information warfare. 

The conversation takes an in-depth look at how China is using generative AI to strengthen its information manipulation capabilities, shape narratives on social media, influence public opinion in Taiwan, and even increase the risk of miscalculation and panic before a conflict begins.

Generative Fake Accounts

Tu notes that compared to traditional military applications, China’s fastest progress in AI-enabled information warfare lies in large-scale narrative operations and coordinated fake accounts on social media. 

With AI technology, actors can rapidly generate content, simulate authentic user profiles, and steer online discussions, making it increasingly difficult for ordinary users to distinguish between real and false information.

During the program, Tu referenced the false rumor that Taiwan would run out of toilet paper during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The disinformation first spread in Taiwan and then, using the same narrative and operational strategy, appeared in Japan, Australia, and the United States — demonstrating how information manipulation can be replicated and scaled across countries.

With the rise of generative AI, Tu said that fake accounts can now automatically produce complete personal profiles, timelines, and interactive content. They can also respond to messages in real time, making detection more difficult.

Narrative shaping before conflict

Tu further emphasized that information manipulation often precedes military conflict.

For example, prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, narratives widely circulated discrediting the Ukrainian government, questioning NATO’s role, and even impersonating Ukrainian accounts to attack US military support.

Similar tactics have appeared in Taiwan. Some accounts posing as Taiwanese have claimed that US military aid and arms sales are intended to bring war to Taiwan.

Taiwan’s defensive mechanisms

If Taiwan can invest in only two or three AI-enabled information defense capabilities in the coming years, Tu argues that priority should be given to developing real-time detection and early warning systems. He also called for transparent mechanisms to expose coordinated and forceful manipulation narratives, and the ability to amplify trustworthy information and authentic voices.

Regarding platform regulation, Tu expressed support for regulatory approaches similar to those adopted in the European Union. 

If platforms benefit from information manipulation, he argued, they should take responsibility by removing such content as much as possible. Failure to do so should result in regulatory or financial consequences.


For more in-depth coverage, listen to Taiwan Frontlines on NOWNEWS official YouTube channel.