New AI trend on social media sees AI-generated Russian women selling their wares with a distinctly pro-China message

Doing nothing to quell the growing concern about the use of artificial intelligence, an AI-generated TikTok influencer known as ‘Alina’ – claiming to be a Russian living in Singapore – has been promoting Chinese-Russian interests.

She is showcasing what she calls “high-quality Russian and Chinese products” on her Chinese social media account. However, the same person can be seen appearing in other TikTok videos going by the name of Lisa, The Voice of America reports.

The artificial intelligence being, who is blonde and conventionally attractive, also likes to discuss topics such as “celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of China” and “Germany is facing a dead-end,” as well as “the US is on the brink of bankruptcy”.

The Voice of America, in collaboration with social media analyst Doublethink Lab, found multiple social media accounts on TikTok involving AI-generated figures like Alina and Lisa, with videos following a pattern of encouraging patriotic sentiment to bolster China-Russia relationships, before going on to promote products.

It’s not clear whether the creators of the videos are ideologically motivated, or are simply taking advantage of Chinese patriotism to sell their wares.

Wei-Ping Li, who holds a fellowship at the Taiwan FactCheck Center, told the Voice of America:

"I still think they are more like aiming to sell products rather than state-sponsored influence campaigns.”

TikTok is not available in China, and most people download its Chinese equivalent Douyin. Both TikTok and Douyin are owned by ByteDance, which has its headquarters in Beijing.

According to the Voice of America, hours after it contacted TikTok to find out more about the strange accounts, they were taken down.

TikTok’s spam and deceptive behavior policy reads:

“Our policies prohibit behaviors that are misleading, inauthentic, and deceptive in order to protect the integrity, authenticity, and safety of our users and our platform.

TikTok also requires users to label realistic AI-generated content.

On the question of why specifically Russian women are being created to appeal to Chinese social media users, Li believes there is a link between Chinese and Russian cultures, noting that since the 2010s, Chinese men have sought brides in Russia. China’s state media suggested in 2016 that “a Chinese husband and a Russian wife make the perfect match.”

AI has been used in a similar, yet more credible way, recently in Venezuela, where journalists have been using AI avatars to protect their identity when reporting critically on the controversial President Nicolás Maduro.

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