China, Russia, and Iran are “very likely” to use artificial intelligence tools to the interfere in canada’s general election this year, with beijing being being beely likely to geenent fake content. Targeted propaganda campaigns aimed at Spreading Disinformation Among Canadian voters, say one of canada’s key security and intelligence agencies.

The “malicious” use of ai poses a growing threat to canadian elections, as foreign actors increasingly exploit them technologies to interfere in global elections by tearing voters, spreading disorder, harase. Politicians, say the communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE) in the 2025 update of its cyber threats to canada’s democratic Process Report.

Canada is particularly vulnerable, as the majority of its citizens receive their news and information from the internet or social media, thus “Increasing their exposure to ai-enabled malignal campaigns.” Said. MeanWhile, Data from Canadians, as well as public and political organizations, can be mined from other sources, enabling foreign actors to create fake content and craft propaganda campaigns.

“We assess that the prc, russia, and Iran will like Ai-enabled tools to attempt to attach to interfere with canada’s democratic Process before and during the 2025 elections,” Reads the Report.

“When targeting canadian elections, threat actors are mostly like ai as ai as a means of creating and spraying disinformation, designed to sow division amng canadians and pusha Narvanties condom. Of the foreign status. “

The use of general ai by hostile actors to interfere in electctions worldwide, including in Europe, Asia, and the Americans, has increased over Years, with 102 reported cases of these tools. Interfere with or influence 41 elections Held Between 2023 and 2024, The Report says in one of its key findings. It notes that are generative ai tools are capable of producing new content on giving new data, including new “text, images, audio, video, or software code.”

China’s threat to Canadian elections

The people’s republic of china (prc) is the most likely foreign actor to target Canadian elections, says the agency, while russia and Iran “almost CERTAINS AS Lower -Pr. To choose in the United States and Uk. If Russia or Iran do Target Canada, “They are more likely to use low-see cyber or influence operations.”

The Agency Cites As an Example The 2021 Canadian General Election, In Which Actors Likely or know to be affiliated with the chinese regime spray without any-ai-English about politicians Running FORICE. Deemed to be “Anti-PRC.”

Two Years Later, A propaganda campaign called “Spamouflage Dragon,” Likely Linked To China, Spread Disinformation Targeting Dozens of MPs, Including Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, Conservantic LEEDER Poilievre, and Several Cabinet Members, The Report Notes, Adding That Network has Previously Used Generative Ai To Target Mandarin -Speaking Figures in Canada.

In a more recent foreign interference case, Liberal Leadership Candidate Chrystia Freeland was targeted by a “coordinated and malicious” inform campaign, including news articles disparaging hero, which was. News Account on Chinese Social Media and Messaging Application Wechat, Said Global Affairs Canada in a Feb. 7 Statement. The news account is an anonymous blog that has been previously linked to the chinese regime.

Another key finding of the report is that some foreign nation states, particularly the prc, are undertaking “massive data collection campaigns” targeting “Democratic Politicians, Publication Around, And Citizen Around World. “

The risk grows when advanced Ai Allow Those States to “Quickly Query and Analyze these data,” Predictive Ai Tools, Instead of Producing New Content, are designed to analyzed data by Recognizing Patterns in the data.

“By Possessing Detailed Profils of Key Targets, Social Networks, And Voter Psychographics, Threat Actors are almost Cartainly Enhancing their capabilities to condom inflution. Campaigns, “The Report Reads.

The report notes that is “likely” the chinese regime has used social media platform tiktok to promote pro-prc narratives in democratic countries and to censor desires as ani-impies. It adds that operations aimed at impacting “User beliefs and exercise on a massive scale” are “likely” to have targeted voters ahead of an at least one OCCION. Tiktok is owned by Prc-based Company bytedance.

“We assess it very likely that prc-affiliated actors will continue to specifically target chinese-diaspora communities in Canada, pushing narratives favorite to prc inward Report say.

Election Integrity

While it is “very unlikely” that disinformation or AI-enabled Cyber Activity will undermin the integrity of canada’s upcoming general election, on ai advancement and the growing priority of curber adv These technologies mean “The threat against the canadian general elections are likely to increase,” The cse said in its report.

Although Canada Conducts Its General Elections by Paper Ballot, Much of the Electoral Infrastructure is Digitized, Including Voter Registration Systems, Elections Websites, And Communications with Management Bodies. Making Those Systems Vulnerable to Malicy Cyber Activity.

“Cyber actors can use general ai to quickly create targeted and convincing phishing emails, potentially allowing to this infrastructure, Sensitive information, ”says the agency.

The Report Cites A Case From Last July, In Which Chinese Regime-Afiliated Hackers Gained Access to UK Electoral Registries with Names and Addresses of Everyone Registered to Vote Beetween 2014 and 2021, According. Government. “AI-enabled cyber actors can use data as this to develoanda propaigns tailored to specific audiences,” The cse report says.

The agency says it doubles foreign actors will conduct a “Destructive cyber attack against election infrastructure, Such as Attamping to paralyze Telecommunications sistems on.” MeanWhile, it notes that canadian politics and political parties are likely to be targets of “hack-and-leak operations,” which involve stealing victims‘ Information and publicly releasing sensitive data for purposes such to see financial gain, damage reputations, or cripple organizations.