Brace for new AI threats ahead of elections, AIT head says

Taiwan must guard against artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled information manipulation ahead of local elections on Nov. 28, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday. Although Taiwan has earned acclaim for its efforts to counter disinformation, it must still brace for a new wave of sophisticated, AI-powered cognitive warfare, Greene said during his keynote speech at the Taipei Security Dialogue hosted by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research. Taiwan also urgently needs to defend financial institutions and critical infrastructure against AI-powered cyberattacks, he said. Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times The US’ top diplomat in Taiwan also touched on issues such as defense spending, military reforms and energy resilience. Taiwan has made great progress in energy resilience by increasing the importation and storage of liquefied natural gas, which the international community has taken note of, Greene said. The nation has also made less visible, but equally impressive, improvements in its electricity allocation policy, power-grid decentralization, use of coal-fired plants and renewables, and exploration of alternative energy sources, including small modular reactors and geothermal energy, he said. Washington welcomes President William Lai’s (賴清德) commitment to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2030, as US allies face rising security threats around the globe, he said. US President Donald Trump has been calling on European countries to take on greater responsibilities for their self-defense, he said, adding that Ukraine has shown that sustained military spending can improve a nation’s military capabilities. Compared with many other US partners, Taiwan is far better placed financially to boost its defense, Greene said. Military preparedness should not just aim to win a war, but to prevent a conflict from breaking out altogether, he said. Deterring Chinese aggression is paramount for Taiwan and the world, he said. “Beyond the human toll, any conflict across the Taiwan Strait would have a bigger impact on the global economy than the Second World War,” Greene said. The Trump administration has made preserving peace in the Indo-Pacific region one of its top priorities, he said. That includes “vigorous” diplomacy, especially at the highest levels, he said. “The upcoming US-China summit is an opportunity to further advance a relationship of strategic stability, on the basis of fairness and reciprocity, that can avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations,” Greene added. At the same time, the US is reinforcing its presence and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region to maintain a “favorable regional balance of power,” while supporting Taiwan’s work to enhance its ability to defend itself, he said. Claims that Taiwan’s efforts to bolster national defense are provocative and accusations that the US aims to change the “status quo” in the region are false, he said. Taiwan has been rapidly implementing lessons learned from Ukraine’s use of asymmetric warfare and emerging technology to fend off Russia’s invasion, Greene said. Taiwan has many strategic advantages Ukraine and many other countries do not have, including advanced manufacturing capabilities, sea barriers and formidable natural geography, he said. Taiwan’s armed forces are rapidly adapting to mission-command concepts, as demonstrated in the latest Han Kuang exercises, he added. Such flexibility has been vital in Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s military, which has been hobbled by its rigid and hierarchical command structure, Greene said. Taiwan and the US must constantly improve their defensive capabilities to safeguard peace, he said. Additional reporting by Reuters Taiwan, which accounts for more than half of the global outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing market, is well-positioned to develop copackaged optics (CPO) and manufacture precision silicon photonics chips, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Silicon photonics are emerging as a mainstream optical communications technology and is seen as key to overcoming bottlenecks in AI computing power. The technology is a key project under the government’s New 10 Major AI Infrastructure Projects, with industry, government, academia and research institutions working to overcome critical technological hurdles and build a self-reliant silicon photonics supply chain, the ministry said. Nvidia Corp in March invested US$4 The air force plans to build 26 more hardened aircraft shelters as the number of F-16Vs stationed along Taiwan’s east coast is expected to reach 120 when the final shipment of 66 jets procured from the US arrives. The incoming jets would be stationed at Chihhang Air Base in Taitung County, augmenting the F-16V Block 20s operated by the 5th Tactical Fighter Wing in Hualien County, officials said yesterday. The air force plans to allocate more than NT$6.88 billion (US$218.1 million) from next year to 2031 to build the shelters in Hualien and Taitung as part of the implementation of a “one Palau’s president yesterday called for a “unified” Pacific response to a missile test by China in July, while Taiwan and its Pacific allies a day earlier at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) reaffirmed their commitment to peace, stability and prosperity. China gave only a handful of nations short notice before test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile in July, sparking condemnation from several Pacific leaders. The 18-member PIF being held in Palau was expected to release a communique after press time last night, with a formal response to the test possibly included. Palau, which invited Taiwan to attend sideline events as an aid partner, urged NO LIMITS: More legislation expanding Beijing’s control over the movement of people, money and information raises risks for Taiwanese travelers and businesses, officials said China is set to implement several laws in the coming months that expand the definition of national security, creating greater risks for Taiwanese traveling to or doing business in China, Taiwanese officials said yesterday. Beijing’s Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law took effect on July 1, while a draft “Internet Information Service Management Measures” finished its public consultation on Aug. 2, but has yet to be adopted. China’s Regulations of the State Council on Exit and Entry Administration are to take effect on Tuesday next week, while amendments to its National Defense Mobilization Law and the Ministry of Public Security’s Measures