Canada’s intelligence agency has sent out a stark warning: China, Russia, and Iran are expected to use artificial intelligence to interfere in the 2025 federal election. While they probably won’t hack our voting infrastructure, the bigger threat is something much harder to fight—disinformation.
The Real Battle: Public Trust
AI has changed the game. Deepfake videos, AI-generated propaganda, and social media manipulation can be used to create confusion, distrust, and division among Canadians. The goal isn’t necessarily to push one candidate over another—it’s to make us question everything we see and hear. And once public trust is eroded, democracy itself becomes weaker.
The recent federal inquiry into foreign interference confirmed what many already suspected: disinformation is the biggest threat to Canadian democracy. AI is making it cheaper, faster, and easier to spread false narratives, and the 2025 election will be a test of how well we can resist them.
Who’s Being Targeted?
The CSE report also warns about a growing problem—AI-generated deepfake pornography being used against public figures, especially women and LGBTQ2+ candidates. It’s a disgusting and calculated effort to drive people out of politics. If this kind of attack keeps growing, we could lose a whole generation of potential leaders who decide it’s just not worth the personal risk.
Beyond that, politicians and political parties can expect to be hit with phishing scams, cyberattacks, and leaks designed to stir up controversy and mistrust. These tactics aren’t necessarily about electing a particular candidate—they’re about creating chaos and division so that Canadians lose faith in the political process altogether.
China’s Cyber Influence Is Growing
China has been particularly aggressive in its cyber activities, with Canadian government agencies compromised more than 20 times in recent years. The PRC has been collecting massive amounts of data on politicians, public figures, and regular citizens—feeding it into AI systems that can predict political trends and fine-tune their interference campaigns. It’s not about hacking votes; it’s about manipulating narratives and influencing how people think.
With AI-generated disinformation getting harder to spot, Canadians will need to be extra careful about what they see and share online. Many of these fake stories don’t gain traction on their own—Canadians, often unknowingly, help spread them.
What Can We Do?
The government has taken some steps, like setting up a task force to monitor election threats, but more needs to be done. We need stricter regulations on AI-generated content, better digital literacy programs, and stronger penalties for those who intentionally spread false information.
Social media platforms also need to step up. They profit from viral misinformation but have done little to stop it. They must be held accountable for allowing AI-generated lies to spread unchecked.
The Bottom Line
Foreign governments don’t need to hack our voting machines to interfere in our democracy. If they can convince enough Canadians that our system is broken, that our politicians are corrupt, or that our elections can’t be trusted, they’ve already won. The real fight isn’t just about cybersecurity—it’s about protecting the minds of voters.
As 2025 approaches, we need to stay sharp, question the information we see, and commit to keeping our democracy strong. The threats are real, but if we act now, we can stop them before they take hold.
