MCMC looks into report on bid to manipulate election

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is investigating a report from American artificial intelligence firm Anthropic regarding an alleged online election manipulation campaign targeting Malaysian citizens. The regulator is taking the findings seriously and will seek further information before determining the next steps.

Anthropic's report revealed that the company had disrupted a commercial election manipulation platform primarily targeting individuals in Malaysia. The scheme involved approximately 1,000 fake social media accounts, a fraudulent news website, and fabricated intelligence dossiers. The operation allegedly used Anthropic's Claude AI models to create a system capable of profiling and targeting Malaysian voters based on their constituency.

Interestingly, Anthropic's report also suggested that the individuals behind this operation attempted to secure a contract with Malaysia's national communications regulator. However, Anthropic claimed it did not find any evidence to support this claim, as the pursuit did not seem to be successful.

In response to the report, MCMC clarified that the activities described do not fall within its purview and emphasized that it does not engage in such activities or arrangements.