Microsoft says China has ‘honed’ new capability to generate AI images for online influence operations

Microsoft warned on Thursday that Chinese influence operations that aim to mimic U.S. voters and spark controversy online have “honed” a new capability to generate images using artificial intelligence (AI).

“We have observed China-affiliated actors leveraging AI-generated visual media in a broad campaign that largely focuses on politically divisive topics, such as gun violence, and denigrating U.S. political figures and symbols,” said Clint Watts, the general manager of Microsoft’s Digital Threat Analysis Center, in a blog post.

“This technology produces more eye-catching content than the awkward digital drawings and stock photo collages used in previous campaigns,” he added.

In a new report about digital threats from East Asia, the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center noted some suspected Chinese assets on Western social media appear to have begun using generative AI to create visual content in March, which has drawn higher levels of engagement from authentic users.

The images are likely created by diffusion-powered image generators, which utilize AI to “create compelling images” and “learn to improve them over time,” Watts said in Thursday’s blog post.

“We can expect China to continue to hone this technology over time, though it remains to be seen how and when it will deploy it at scale,” he added.