China Turns to A.I. in Information Warfare

 Julian E. Barnes 

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Documents examined by researchers show how one company in China has collected data on members of Congress and other influential Americans.

The Chinese technology company GoLaxy tracked people in Hong Kong as it sought to counter opposition to the 2020 Hong Kong National Security Law.Credit...Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

Documents examined by researchers show how one company in China has collected data on members of Congress and other influential Americans.

The Chinese technology company GoLaxy tracked people in Hong Kong as it sought to counter opposition to the 2020 Hong Kong National Security Law.Credit...Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

Julian Barnes, who covers the U.S. intelligence agencies for The Times, learned about the GoLaxy documents through Vanderbilt University’s Institute of National Security, where he is a nonresident fellow this year.

The Chinese government is using companies with expertise in artificial intelligence to monitor and manipulate public opinion, giving it a new weapon in information warfare, according to current and former U.S. officials and documents unearthed by researchers.

One company’s internal documents show how it has undertaken influence campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and collected data on members of Congress and other influential Americans.

While the firm has not mounted a campaign in the United States, American spy agencies have monitored its activity for signs that it might try to influence American elections or political debates, former U.S. officials said.