AI-Generated Influencers Promote China-Russia Ties on TikTok
AI-generated social media accounts have been discovered promoting a pro-China-Russia partnership while selling products. An AI influencer named Alina, claiming to be a Russian in Singapore, promotes Russian and Chinese products on her Chinese social media account. She also appears as Lisa on TikTok, discussing topics like China’s 75th anniversary and US political tensions. These accounts, operated from Singapore, use AI-generated Russian women to push patriotism and products beyond China. TikTok, owned by ByteDance, is unavailable in China, but its counterpart Douyin is popular there. A joint investigation by VOA and Doublethink Lab found these accounts leveraging patriotic sentiment to bolster China-Russia ties before promoting products. Similar trends are seen on Chinese platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu. The accounts often highlight China’s achievements and criticize Western nations. They aim at older Chinese audiences overseas, using hashtags like #Singapore and #Malaysia.
Doubts Revealed
AI-Generated Influencers -: AI-generated influencers are virtual characters created by computer programs. They look and act like real people but are not. They are used to promote products or ideas on social media.
TikTok -: TikTok is a popular social media app where people share short videos. It’s used by many people around the world to create and watch fun and interesting content.
China-Russia Ties -: China-Russia ties refer to the relationship and cooperation between the countries of China and Russia. They work together on various political, economic, and cultural matters.
AI Influencer Alina -: Alina, also known as Lisa, is a virtual character created by AI to act as an influencer. She appears on social media to talk about topics and promote ideas or products.
US Tensions -: US tensions refer to disagreements or conflicts between the United States and other countries. These can be about politics, trade, or other international issues.
Singapore -: Singapore is a small island country in Southeast Asia. It’s known for being a global financial hub and has a diverse population.
Hashtags -: Hashtags are words or phrases preceded by the ‘#’ symbol used on social media. They help categorize content and make it easier for people to find related posts.