China uses AI generated bots to propagate pro China Russia content on social media: Report

Washington [US], October 10 : AI-generated social media accounts with artificially generated human identities have been uncovered promoting pro-China-Russia partnership content on social media paired with sales pitches for selling products.
An AI-generated Tik-Tok influencer named Alina, who claims to be a Russian living in Singapore, was found promoting what she calls "high-quality Russian and Chinese products" on her Chinese social media account. Meanwhile, the same person can also be seen appearing in other posts on TikTok going by the name of Lisa, The Voice of America reported.
Reportedly, the use of Russian AI figures to foster patriotism was once limited to Chinese social media platforms targeting domestic audiences within China. But, these accounts on TikTok, these days are noticed to be operated from Singapore, trying to use attractive blonde Russian women to push patriotism, propaganda and products beyond China. TikTok is unavailable in China but most Chinese users download its Chinese counterpart, Douyin. Both platforms are owned by the same parent company, ByteDance, which is headquartered in Beijing.
Further, according to the same report, Lisa in her posts on TikTok likes to discuss topics like 'celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of China' and 'Germany is facing a dead-end' along with 'the US is on the brink of bankruptcy'. In one video posted on September 17, Lisa can be found talking about the two assassination attempts against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, suggesting that intensifying political rivalry fueled violence in the US, which could further promote social tensions within the US.
A joint investigation by VOA and social media analysts Doublethink Lab had uncovered several social media accounts on TikTok relating to AI-generated figures like Alina and Lisa featuring videos following a pattern of leveraging patriotic sentiment to bolster China-Russia ties before going on to promote products.
The VOA also stated that a similar trend on Chinese social media platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu, also use AI-manipulated videos of young, purportedly Russian women to rally support for China-Russia ties and stoke patriotic fervour before selling products such as snacks, nutritional supplements and drinks. However, the report also claimed that it is hard to figure out whether the creators have an ideological motive or are simply trying to exploit Chinese patriotism to sell their products. But when VOA contacted TikTok for a comment over these accounts, they were taken down several hours later.
The accounts highlighted by the VOA report in a pattern claim to belong to Russia and love China, very often highlighting China's economic achievements and calling it a 'global friend'. These accounts also criticise Japan and Western nations like the US and Germany. Notably, these accounts have been largely republishing videos from Chinese social media platforms such as Douyin, Xiaohongshu and possibly WeChat and Bilibili. These accounts can also be found trying to make their posts legitimate by having the AI-generated Russian women talk about their life experiences within China and why they like the country.
Li of the Taiwan Fact Check Centre said the TikTok accounts seem aimed at older Chinese audiences overseas, diverging from the previous focus on younger males with patriotic inclinations and military backgrounds. This shift can be observed in the use of hashtags such as #Singapore, #Malaysia and #OverseasChinese.