Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping: Moscow and Beijing use AI to shape public sentiment in Ukraine and Taiwan. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters)
HIROYUKI AKITA, Nikkei commentator
TOKYO — The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence has made it possible to manipulate public sentiment in a way previously unimaginable. This technology makes it much easier for malicious actors to distort elections and throw society into chaos.
One place where this threat is particularly acute is Taiwan. Taiwanese social media and other online platforms have been bombarded with false information as tensions with Beijing grow. Lies and hoaxes proliferated in cyberspace in the run-up to Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13.
