AI-Generated Women Spread Disinformation About Singapore on TikTok
Source: CNA
A CNA investigation has uncovered a network of more than 30 TikTok accounts using AI-generated female personas to push false and misleading claims about Singapore and Malaysia. The operation produced over 550 videos drawing more than 3 million views, with nearly 90% containing disinformation about Singapore's economy, geopolitics, and foreign relations.
A CNA investigation has uncovered a coordinated disinformation operation on TikTok involving AI-generated female presenters pushing false narratives about Singapore and Malaysia. The probe examined more than 30 accounts that produced over 550 videos, of which nearly 90% contained false or misleading claims — drawing a combined total of more than 3 million views between October 2025 and June 2026.
The accounts used AI-generated or manipulated female personas with reused voice tracks and recycled scripts, creating the illusion of independent commentators arriving at the same conclusions. Behind the polished presenters lay what CNA described as a factory-like production system: identical-looking avatars appeared across multiple accounts, lip-sync errors revealed audio tracks spliced onto visuals, and presenters' heads remained unnaturally still across videos — all telltale signs of AI-generated or synthetic content. One fabricated claim — that Singapore's foreign minister had unsuccessfully begged China not to let a new shipping route bypass Singapore's port — was repeated across nearly two months and viewed more than 100,000 times.
The narratives blended fact with distortion. Some videos used genuine statistics — such as Singapore being China's largest foreign investor since 2013 — as hooks to advance fabricated claims about Singapore's economic dependence on China. Others seized on unrelated events like ExxonMobil's Singapore plant closure as supposed proof of Singapore's decline. Experts told CNA the operation did not necessarily need to convince viewers outright — its goal was to make certain framings feel familiar and recurring through sheer repetition across accounts.
TikTok terminated two accounts after CNA shared evidence, citing violations of rules against deceptive behaviour. But the scope of the operation suggests it is part of a broader pattern: a previous CNA investigation in February found similar AI-driven disinformation targeting Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on YouTube, indicating coordinated campaigns spanning multiple platforms. Experts noted that Mandarin-language disinformation remains harder to fact-check than English, with fewer resources dedicated to debunking operations targeting Chinese-speaking audiences.
Why it matters for Singapore: The investigation highlights a growing challenge for Singapore as AI tools lower the cost of producing convincing disinformation at scale. With general elections approaching and Singapore positioning itself as a trusted AI hub, the ease with which synthetic presenters can manufacture false narratives — and the difficulty of debunking them across language divides — poses a significant test for Singapore's information resilience and platform accountability.