INFRASTRUCTURE FOR EXPOSURE
Of the more than 550 videos CNA analysed, 94 videos were found to be consistently repeating false or misleading claims. This subset accounted for over 1.6 million views, almost half the total views in the investigation. In other words, the most heavily repeated scripts were also among the most watched.
These 94 videos appeared to adopt a similar playbook: Different female presenters “took turns” delivering the same commentary over weeks and months, creating an illusion of independent voices arriving at the same conclusions.
In all, 24 accounts parroted the same talking points at different times. The fabricated Dr Balakrishnan anecdote alone was repeated over nearly two months and viewed more than 100,000 times.
“TikTok’s short-form, high-volume format means users encounter the same narratives repeatedly across different accounts without necessarily recognising it as a coordinated campaign,” Assoc Prof Saifuddin explained. “That repetition alone, independent of content quality, increases the likelihood that claims feel familiar and therefore plausible.”
Experts said the use of low-cost, attractive AI-generated presenters was also a known tactic to increase engagement, attention and trust.
“If viewers are more likely to watch, share and return to content fronted by an appealing presenter, that’s a straightforward amplification strategy regardless of the underlying message,” said Assoc Prof Saifuddin.
“It exploits the same psychological mechanisms that make influencer content effective,” he added. “The female presenter choice may equally reflect what performs best on these platforms algorithmically.”
The political communication scholar also said it was believable that male viewers were being specifically targeted.
The same tactic has been observed in previously documented influence as well as marketing campaigns. According to reports in 2024, Chinese state-linked groups had targeted the Taiwanese elections that year with AI-generated news anchors. And in June this year, a network of fake female dating profiles were found pushing propaganda ahead of local polls in Taiwan.