Is Singapore about to experience a 'political upheaval'? The Prime Minister has been 'forced out'? Lately, a slew of videos claiming fierce political infighting in Singapore and a decline from its former glory has flooded social media, manipulating public opinion and eroding public trust. These videos, filled with misinformation, have their scripts, voice-overs, and visuals entirely produced by artificial intelligence.
Lianhe Zaobao reported on the 5th that social media platforms have recently seen a spike in sensational videos with themes such as 'coup' and 'stepping down,' claiming there is political turmoil in Singapore, and that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has been 'overthrown' or 'sidelined.' Enhanced by a fast pace and somber background music, these videos create a grave atmosphere. Some netizens have repeatedly shared them, generating significant traffic.
Lin Jiayi, a scholar at Black Dot Research, a market research institution tracking false information, pointed out that since last October, these mass-produced videos are very likely scripted by Chinese large language models such as DeepSeek and Ernie. They follow a set formula: opening with a sense of crisis, quoting data that lacks sources or is simply fabricated, followed by various metaphors, and concluding with a warning.
According to her observations, some accounts post at extremely high speeds. One channel, for instance, uploaded 119 videos in four months, amassing over 2 million total views. 'After watching three or four of these similar videos, the platform algorithm will recommend even more, invisibly giving users the illusion that the content is more serious or newsworthy than reality, leading to belief in these fabricated or manipulated messages.'
Lianhe Zaobao used reverse image search on key scenes and found that the footage was from forum speeches, rallies, press conferences, and other events from various years and settings. While the visuals are real, some have had their context cut out, and some stories are fabricated or exaggerated. Public information shows that channel administrators are based around the world, continually spreading malicious messages. This is believed to be an organized external influence operation, rather than simple expression of opinion.
Sun Yiqun, a scientist from Magellan Technology Research Institute (MTRI), analyzed that the video scripts are written using AI, then generated into long videos in minutes via text-to-speech and auto-matching images.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Communications and Information, responding to Lianhe Zaobao’s inquiry, said that in recent months, several online accounts have indeed been noticed posting large numbers of videos making completely fabricated and absurd accusations about Singapore’s foreign policy and domestic politics.
The spokesperson said that Singapore is not immune to the challenge of external forces seeking to sow distrust, manipulate public opinion, or interfere in domestic affairs. Authorities have rolled out public education initiatives and developed resources to help people identify fake information.
The authorities urge the public to remain vigilant, not to be misled by false information, and to seek accurate information through official channels, and to refrain from sharing content from unclear or unverified sources.