China Leverages AI for Global Information Warfare & Influence Operations

The Chinese government is increasingly leveraging companies with expertise in artificial intelligence to monitor and manipulate public opinion, marking a significant escalation in its information warfare capabilities, according to current and former U.S. officials and internal documents uncovered by researchers. These revelations highlight a new frontier in espionage and influence operations, enabling campaigns that are faster, more efficient, and far broader in scope than previously possible.

One such company, GoLaxy, has been identified through its internal documents, which detail influence campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan, alongside extensive data collection on U.S. members of Congress and other influential Americans. While there is no evidence yet that GoLaxy has mounted a direct campaign within the United States, American intelligence agencies are closely monitoring its activities for any signs of interference in U.S. elections or political discourse.

Historically, Chinese information operations targeting other countries have lacked the aggressive effectiveness of their Russian counterparts. However, U.S. officials and experts suggest that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence could help Beijing overcome these past shortcomings. New technologies can track public debates of interest to the Chinese government, offering the unprecedented ability to monitor individuals, their specific arguments, and broader public sentiment. Crucially, this technology also promises to mass-produce propaganda, enabling swift counters to shifts in public opinion both domestically and internationally.

This emerging Chinese capability coincides with a reduction in U.S. government efforts to counter foreign malign influence campaigns. While American spy agencies continue to gather intelligence on foreign manipulation, the previous U.S. administration dismantled dedicated teams at the State Department, the F.B.I., and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that previously warned the public about such threats.

GoLaxy’s internal documents, obtained by Vanderbilt University’s Institute of National Security, reveal a sophisticated “Smart Propaganda System,” or GoPro. This technology, according to researchers Brett J. Goldstein and Brett V. Benson, can mine social media profiles to create customized content that “feels authentic, adapts in real-time and avoids detection,” effectively functioning as a “propaganda engine” capable of generating unprecedented volumes of material. Unlike traditional influence operations, which often relied on manual creation and “troll farms” to spread limited disinformation, GoLaxy’s AI-driven approach has the potential to automate and scale these efforts dramatically.

The company’s public platform reportedly integrates DeepSeek, an advanced Chinese AI model, to rapidly craft responses that reinforce Beijing’s views and counter opposing arguments, potentially overwhelming organic debate with state-backed narratives. GoLaxy collects tens of millions of data points daily from various Chinese and Western social media platforms, including Weibo, WeChat, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook, to build comprehensive profiles on individuals. These profiles are then used to identify political commentary supporting Beijing and develop messaging to suppress opinions the Chinese Communist Party aims to eradicate, such as criticism of China’s Covid policies, opposition to its control over Hong Kong, and support for Taiwan’s ruling party.

GoLaxy’s documents assert that its GoPro system “already possesses the ability to be aware of political situations, target in real time, create high-quality content and perform rapid counterattacks,” claiming it has “produced certain political effects in relevant state departments.” Furthermore, the documents indicate the company has undertaken work for China’s intelligence apparatus, including the Ministry of State Security—the country’s primary spy agency—and internal security agencies, partnerships confirmed by former U.S. officials. This work, according to current and former American officials, aligns directly with China’s national security strategy, aiming to make “the easterly wind overpowering the westerly wind,” a phrase evoking Mao Zedong’s vision of China’s ascendance. James Mulvenon, an expert on Chinese information operations, describes GoLaxy as “an incredibly important company,” deeply integrated into China’s security and military apparatus, developing advanced tools for information operations.

While GoLaxy appears to have concentrated most of its efforts on the Chinese population, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, its documents claim to have assembled virtual profiles on 117 current and former members of the U.S. Congress—including specific Republican representatives—and more than 2,000 other American political figures, 4,000 right-wing influencers, journalists, scholars, and entrepreneurs. Although the specific use of this data remains unclear, U.S. officials have long asserted that China tracks American politicians’ policy positions relevant to Beijing.

GoLaxy, which publicly advertises data analysis services for Chinese companies and the government, privately claims its new technology can reshape and influence public opinion on behalf of the Chinese government. The company’s origins are tied to the state-owned Chinese Academy of Sciences, and it counts Sugon, a state-controlled supercomputing company on the U.S. export blacklist, as an investor, underscoring its deep connections to the Chinese state.

In response to inquiries, GoLaxy denied creating any “bot network or psychological profiling tour” or engaging in work related to Hong Kong or other elections, dismissing the information as “misinformation.” The company stated its products are “mainly based on open-source data, without specially collecting data targeting U.S. officials.” Following contact from The New York Times, GoLaxy began altering its website, removing references to its national security work for the Chinese government. The leaked documents, mostly dating from 2020, 2022, and 2023, appear to have been provided by a disgruntled employee.

Despite its ambitious claims, the actual effectiveness of GoLaxy’s campaigns remains unclear. For instance, during China’s Covid lockdown, GoLaxy attempted to amplify Elon Musk’s praise for China’s pandemic policies using fake Facebook accounts, akin to Russian troll farms, to counter Western criticism. However, these efforts seemed to have little impact, as public opposition ultimately forced the Chinese government to abandon its “Zero Covid” policy. In Hong Kong, GoLaxy identified approximately 180,000 Twitter accounts and pushed narratives to minimize dissent over the 2020 National Security Law, which expanded Chinese control and eroded civil rights. During the 2024 Taiwanese election, GoLaxy recommended specific messages to undermine the Democratic Progressive Party, yet the party retained control, albeit with a weakened position. As Mulvenon notes, “Information operations are harder than they sound. There are not a lot of good examples of success.”