This is a summary of the report commissioned by Thomson on AI Disinformation Attacks during Taiwans 2024 Presidential Elections, written by Professor Chen-ling Hung from National Taiwan University.
In the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election, the Democratic Progressive Party won an unprecedented third term with candidate Lai Ching-te securing 40% of votes.
Despite being targeted by foreign disinformation, Taiwan successfully combatted these attacks, showcasing resilience against external interference.
This report examines the role of generative AI in spreading disinformation during the election, and the efforts by citizen groups and newsrooms to debunk it.
It analyses the themes and impacts of AI-generated disinformation on Taiwans internal dynamics and regional relations. The response of Taiwanese media and civil organizations to Chinese disinformation is also discussed.
Finally, the report offers conclusions and recommendations for newsrooms and fact-checking organisations, highlighting the importance of media literacy and potential drawbacks of current strategies in the broader news-public information ecosystem.
Blurring fact and fiction In the 2024 election, disinformation was analysed through second-hand data from news, government documents, and citizen organizations like the Taiwan FactCheck Center, IORG, and Taiwan AI Labs. These groups worked to counter Chinese intervention and AI-generated disinformation. Disinformation was categorised into AI-fabricated content, misleading narratives, and coordinated behaviour.
The AI-generated fake audio and video that appeared in this election mainly targeted politicians and their private lives.
The major themes of misleading narratives include government policies, cross-strait relations, and suspicion of the US. Coordinated behaviours were observed in the behaviour of information, sending mainly a large number of fake accounts systematically creating or disseminating disinformation.
We found that AIs role in disinformation involved blurring fact and fiction, generating vast amounts of false information, and creating sophisticated deepfakes, challenging traditional fact-checking and necessitating new solutions in digital literacy and technology. While not significantly impacting immediate public discourse or political decisions, disinformation influenced long-term discussions on national identity and global geopolitics.
AI s role in disinformation involved blurring fact and fiction, generating vast amounts of false information, and creating sophisticated deepfakes.
Chen-ling Hung, Professor, Graduate Institute of Journalism, National Taiwan University.
Combating disinformation We also examined how Taiwanese media combated disinformation, which involved interviews with five major news organizations: Taiwan Public Television Service (PTS), Central News Agency (CNA), Radio Taiwan International (RTI), Formosa Television (FTV) and TVBS Media.
The public and government-subsidized media like PTS, CNA, and RTI demonstrated a strong commitment to authentic news, using advanced technology and various strategies influenced by different political affiliations.
However, commercial media like FTV and TVBS, in spite of their efforts in maintaining journalistic standards and representing diverse political perspectives, struggled more with disinformation due to political biases and profit motives. These channels, especially their online counterparts, faced challenges in verification processes, vulnerability to AI-generated disinformation, and pressures to align with or oppose certain narratives. This highlights the complex nature of combating disinformation and emphasizes the need for collective action and collaboration among media, government, technology platforms, and the public.
Strengthening internal fact-checking and establishing comprehensive frameworks for information verification and education are crucial for media independence, credibility, and democratic development.
Legal measures, platform collaboration, and civil society efforts This report concludes that Taiwan combated disinformation during the election through legal measures, platform collaboration and civil society efforts.
Despite these efforts, challenges remain in addressing disinformation on digital platforms and social media. The final remarks include recommendations for multi-stakeholders:
Proactive Government Action: Enhance legislation against spreading rumors and fake videos, and develop mechanisms to counter infiltration activities funded by foreign forces.
Accountability for Digital and Traditional Media: Implement fact-checking obligations for mainstream media and close loopholes in online platform regulation.
Strengthening Civil Society: Increase collaboration across sectors to improve the ability of civic groups to counter AI disinformation.
Comprehensive Research: Study the circulation and impact of disinformation on national identity and international perspectives, formulating strategies to mitigate its influence.
The report highlights also the need for continued vigilance and adaptive strategies to protect a nation's democracy and development from disinformation attacks.
-- Play
-- --
The debate Professor Chen-Ling Hung is joined by other experts to discuss the impact of disinformation on the Taiwan election and others in 2024.
Explore our projects across the globe
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
07/05/2026
Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
January 8, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), a leader in high-performance, on-s...
07/05/2026
February 9, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer i...
07/05/2026
March 20, 2024
NAB 2024, Las Vegas - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-awa...
07/05/2026
April 1, 2025
CINEMACON, APRIL 1, 2025 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming syste...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), an Academy and Emmy Award-winning de...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront participated in the ICTA Barcelona Cinema Technology Summit on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Held at The Phenomena Experience, the event feat...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Passion and dedication will take you places. Come with us on a short trip to the heart of India, where Annapurna Studios is living-up to the inspi...
07/05/2026
July 3, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
September 1, 2025
IBC 2025, Amsterdam - Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the Acade...
07/05/2026
April 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2026 - Colorfront today announced Colorf...
07/05/2026
April 23, 2026
NAB 2026, Las Vegas - the Academy and Emmy Award-winning develop...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky continues Sphere Abacus partnership with The Death of S...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky Confirms Saturday Night Live UK will return this September for Series Two
Saturday Night Live UK will return for a second series, as S...
07/05/2026
Save 20% on the Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Glass Air TVsThursday 7 May 2026
How to watch the World Cup on Sky Glass
Tune into the World Cup on the BBC and ITV vi...
07/05/2026
Production sound mixer Dirk Sciarrotta has mixed Family Feud for 28 seasons. Thats up to 200 syndicated episodes per year, plus primetime celebrity specials - a...
07/05/2026
As audience expectations have evolved, Owen has stopped trying to hide microphones or excuse amplification. Instead, he treats sound as a fully immersive part o...
07/05/2026
Well known Irish faces pushed to the edge in new series of
Uncharted with Ray G...
07/05/2026
RT will premiere A Traveller Family, a compelling new documentary exploring the...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
06 May 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & ...
06/05/2026
UKTV has secured the exclusive rights to the early back catalogue of iconic Australian drama series Neighbours, following a landmark content deal with Fremantle...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversa...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy
Sky in the UK & Ireland to remain the home of Formula 1 until ...
06/05/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign launches nationwide, supported by new...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
This is a summary of the report commissioned by Thomson on AI Disinformation Attacks during Taiwans 2024 Presidential Elections, written by Professor Chen-ling Hung from National Taiwan University.
