Democratic lawmakers warned on Friday that severe staff cuts at an intelligence office that monitors foreign threats to U.S. elections would leave the country vulnerable to interference and subversion from Beijing, as Chinese companies use artificial intelligence as a new weapon in information warfare.

美国民主党议员周五警告称，由于中国企业将人工智能作为信息战的新武器，负责监控外国对美国大选威胁的情报办公室大幅裁员将使美国更容易受到来自北京的干预和破坏。

In a letter to Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois and André Carson of Indiana cited a New York Times story about technology developed by the Chinese company GoLaxy that aims to use artificial intelligence to make influence and information operations far more effective.

来自伊利诺伊州的众议员拉贾·克里希纳穆尔西和来自印第安纳州的众议员安德烈·卡森致信国家情报总监图尔西·加巴德，他们提到《纽约时报》关于中国公司中科天玑的一篇报道，称该公司研发的一项技术利用人工智能显著提升影响力和信息行动的效果。

The representatives, who both serve on the House China committee, said the cuts at Ms. Gabbard’s office were “stripping away the guardrails that protect our nation from foreign influence.”

这两位均在众议院中国问题特设委员会任职的议员表示，加巴德办公室进行的裁员正在“移除保护美国免受外国影响的护栏”。

In recent weeks, Ms. Gabbard announced staff reductions that all but eliminated the Foreign Malign Influence Center, which tracks efforts by adversarial countries to manipulate U.S. elections and warp American dialogue.

近几周，加巴德宣布的裁员几乎彻底裁撤了“外国恶意影响应对中心”，该中心负责追踪敌对国家操纵美国选举和歪曲美国舆论的努力。

Documents uncovered by Vanderbilt University and examined by The Times detailed new technology developed by GoLaxy that aimed to improve China’s ability to influence public debate. GoLaxy, according to the documents, had done work in Hong Kong and Taiwan and collected information about American lawmakers.

范德比尔特大学发现并经《纽约时报》审阅的文件详细介绍了中科天玑开发的新技术，该技术旨在提升中国影响公共辩论的能力。文件指出，中科天玑曾在香港和台湾开展行动，并曾收集美国议员的信息。

GoLaxy, according to the documents, was using artificial intelligence to track large numbers of people in order to generate pro-Chinese propaganda that could shape public debates, promote the views of China’s government and drown out voices opposed to its policies.

根据文件，中科天玑利用人工智能追踪大量人群，以生成亲中宣传，从而影响公共辩论，推广中国政府的观点，并淹没反对其政策的声音。

Former officials said American spy agencies had been tracking the company closely in recent years, including its information operations during recent Taiwanese elections. U.S. officials monitored GoLaxy to see if it would conduct information operations in the United States during the 2024 election, though they ultimately determined that the company did not seek to influence conversations at that time.

前政府官员称，美国情报机构最近几年一直在密切追踪这家公司，包括它在最近台湾选举期间的信息行动。美国官员监控中科天玑，观察其是否会在2024年大选期间在美国进行信息行动，但他们最终认定该公司当时并未试图干预舆论。

But former officials and outside experts say the threat to America from Chinese information operations is growing.

但前官员和外部专家表示，来自中国的信息行动对美国的威胁正在增长。

“Our research into GoLaxy reveals a clear path toward next-generation capabilities for producing fake but realistic online content and influence campaigns,” said Brett Goldstein of Vanderbilt’s Institute of National Security. “We’ve seen early signs of collection targeting prominent U.S. figures, and while the scope remains unclear, the intent is deeply concerning for American security and democracy.”

“我们对中科天玑的研究揭示了一条清晰的发展路径，即下一代制造虚假但逼真的网络内容和开展影响力行动的能力，”范德比尔特大学国家安全研究所的布雷特·戈尔茨坦说。“我们已经观察到针对美国知名人士进行信息采集的早期迹象，虽然范围尚不明确，但这种意图对美国的安全和民主而言令人深感担忧。”

Mr. Krishnamoorthi said China’s ruling Communist Party was very interested in trying to “sway the opinions of lawmakers.”

克里希纳穆尔西说，中国执政的共产党对试图“左右立法者的意见”非常感兴趣。

“We aren’t collecting information in an actionable way to defend against it,” he said. “And we are systematically dismantling portions of our government that were dedicated to tracking foreign malign influence.”

“我们没有以一种可操作的方式收集信息来进行防御，”他说。“而且我们正在系统性地瓦解政府中那些专门追踪外国恶意影响的部门。”

Olivia C. Coleman, a spokeswoman for Ms. Gabbard, said the letter from the Democrats was factually wrong and “an obvious effort to spread manufactured panic.”

加巴德的发言人奥利维亚·科尔曼说，民主党人的这封信存在事实错误，是“一种明显的散播人为恐慌的行为”。

“Our country’s ability to counter foreign influence operations has never been stronger,” Ms. Coleman said. “As we’ve said publicly on numerous occasions and as Congress has been told directly, core functions and expertise to ensure the safety, security and freedom of the American people have not been affected.”

“我国应对外国影响力行动的能力从未如此强大，”科尔曼说，“正如我们在无数次公开场合所说的那样，也正如国会已被直接告知的那样，确保美国人民安全、保障和自由的核心职能和专业能力并未受到影响。”

The annual intelligence threat assessment released by Ms. Gabbard’s office in March warned that China was trying to “expand its coercive and subversive malign influence activities to weaken the United States.”

加巴德办公室在3月发布的年度情报威胁评估报告曾警告称，中国正试图“扩大其胁迫性和颠覆性的恶意影响活动，以削弱美国”。

Mr. Krishnamoorthi said he was concerned the Chinese Communist Party was trying to exploit artificial intelligence to make its coercive campaigns more effective.

克里希纳穆尔西说，他担心中国共产党正试图利用人工智能来提高其胁迫性运动的有效性。

“A.I. technology, which we know that China is working assiduously to accelerate, provides a powerful tool to enhance its abilities to conduct more sophisticated influence campaigns designed to manipulate public opinion and sow discord within society,” he said.

“人工智能技术为中国提供了强大工具，能助其开展更复杂的舆论操纵活动以影响公众舆论、制造社会分裂，我们知道中国正不遗余力加速发展这项技术。”

During the 2024 election, the Foreign Malign Influence Center held a series of briefings, some for the news media and some for local officials, flagging efforts by Russia and other adversaries to undermine confidence in the vote. They warned of Russian efforts to spread false claims about Vice President Kamala Harris and doctored videos wrongly claiming that ballots in Pennsylvania had been destroyed.

在2024年大选期间，“外国恶意影响应对中心”举行了一系列简报会，其中一些面向新闻媒体，一些面向地方官员，重点关注俄罗斯和其他对手为破坏选举信心所做的努力。他们曾警告说，俄罗斯试图散布关于副总统贺锦丽的不实指控，并传播宾夕法尼亚州选票遭销毁的伪造视频。

U.S. officials concluded China sought to exert influence in some local races but stayed out of the presidential election, uncertain which candidate it favored.

美国官员们得出结论，中国试图在一些地方选举中施加影响，但没有介入总统选举，因为它不确定自己更倾向于哪一位候选人。

Shrinking the office and folding it into other parts of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence will prevent foreign influence efforts from getting the resources or focus the problem needs, Mr. Krishnamoorthi said.

克里希纳穆尔西说，缩减该办公室并将其并入国家情报总监办公室其他部门的做法将阻碍应对外国影响力的努力获得所需的资源或关注。

Ms. Coleman said the functions of the Foreign Malign Influence Center would be folded into other parts of Ms. Gabbard’s office. But she noted that Ms. Gabbard believed the center had been used by the Biden administration to suppress free speech, a contention Mr. Krishnamoorthi disputed.

科尔曼说，“外国恶意影响应对中心”的职能将被并入加巴德办公室的其他部分。但她指出，加巴德认为该中心曾被拜登政府用于压制言论自由，克里希纳穆尔西对此予以反驳。

The cuts to the center were “inexplicable,” Mr. Krishnamoorthi said. Congress created the office because it was concerned about greater influence operations by adversaries.

克里希纳穆尔西说，削减该中心“令人费解”。国会设立这一办公室是因为担心对手的影响行动日益加剧。

“We needed a central unit within the intelligence community to analyze and coordinate our response effort,” he said. “The scope of this threat has only magnified since the office was created. So why is the administration hollowing it out? It makes no sense.”

“我们需要情报界内部设立一个中央部门来分析并协调我们的应对努力，”他说。“自该办公室成立以来，这种威胁的范围只增不减。政府为什么要把它掏空？这毫无道理。”

In the letter, the Democrats noted that the Trump administration had also dismantled the F.B.I.’s Foreign Influence Task Force, the State Department had shuttered its office that called out foreign propaganda and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency had fired officials who had worked on countering election interference.

两位民主党人在信中指出，特朗普政府还解散了联邦调查局的外国影响力特别工作组，国务院关闭了一个负责打击外国宣传活动的办公室，而网络安全与基础设施安全局则解雇了负责打击选举干预的官员。

Those cuts, Mr. Krishnamoorthi said, put the country at risk. And he said efforts by China and Chinese companies to improve their ability to spread propaganda were particularly concerning in the face of the cuts.

克里希纳穆尔西说，这些削减让国家面临风险。他说，面对这些裁撤行动，中国和中国企业为提升宣传能力所做的努力尤其令人担忧。

“Instead of strengthening our response, the administration is dismantling our ability to track and counter these threats,” he said.

“政府非但没有加强我们的应对能力，反而在削弱我们追踪和反制这些威胁的能力，”他说。