Researchers Uncover Chinese Company Using AI for Propaganda

A trove of documents from the Chinese company GoLaxy, obtained by researchers at Vanderbilt University, has revealed China’s influence operations being carried out with unprecedented speed and precision using AI.

Defense One reported on this.

According to the researchers, the Chinese government has enlisted several AI companies to develop and execute sophisticated propaganda campaigns that appear significantly more realistic than previous attempts to manipulate public opinion.

According to researchers’ estimates, the company GoLaxy has created data profiles for at least 117 sitting U.S. lawmakers and more than 2,000 other American politicians and opinion leaders. They also estimate that GoLaxy is likely monitoring thousands of right-wing influencers as well as journalists.

“You start to imagine, when you bring these pieces together, this is a whole new sort of level of gray zone conflict, and it’s one we need to really understand,” said Brett Goldstein, a former director of the Defense Digital Service and one of the Vanderbilt faculty that examined the files.

GoLaxy was founded in 2010 by a research institute affiliated with the state-run Chinese Academy of Sciences. It collaborates with senior figures in China’s intelligence, party, and military structures within the country’s political system.

According to the researchers, the company has launched influence campaigns targeting Hong Kong and Taiwan, using a propaganda dissemination system called GoPro to distribute content on social media.

Following exposure by The Times, the company altered the content on its website, removing references to cooperation with the Beijing government. For instance, a now-deleted blog post stated that GoLaxy had offered its AI tools to senior officials in China’s police and security services.

“GoLaxy’s products are primarily based on open-source data, without any specialized data collection targeting U.S. officials,” the company stated.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration significantly scaled back offices dedicated to monitoring influence operations, despite accusations that they, in coordination with social media platforms, were censoring Americans’ online speech.

The White House also sought to downplay earlier intelligence community findings that contradicted the Trump administration’s official stance – specifically, the reports that Russia had launched an influence campaign aimed at swaying the 2016 election in favor of President Donald Trump. Multiple investigations, including by the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, concluded that Russia intended to help Trump secure victory.

In early August, the Israel Defense Forces implemented a complete ban on Chinese-made vehicles entering their bases, citing concerns over potential spying through sensors and cameras.