On Wednesday, October 2nd, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released its annual report. The report pointed out that the interference in the U.S. election by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Russia, and Iran is becoming increasingly severe, including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to spread misinformation in an attempt to divide American society.
In the annual report titled “2025 Homeland Threat Assessment” (PDF), the Department of Homeland Security stated that “our electoral process is an attractive target for threat actors.”
Assessors indicated that as the election approaches, foreign malign actors are expected to increase their use of media, false social media accounts networks, and influence agents.
The report anticipates that foreign adversaries will target the democratic processes of federal, state, and local governments, intending to influence American voters’ voting intentions, escalate social tensions, in order to undermine people’s confidence in the U.S. democratic system and domestic social cohesion.
The Department of Homeland Security also warned that foreign adversaries aim to disrupt the “cyber infrastructure supporting the American election.”
The report predicts that the CCP, Russia, and Iran are increasingly using generative AI to create “more credible text, synthetic audio, and video content,” which could enhance their ability to reach American audiences while hiding their sources.
In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the competition between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and former Republican President Trump is fierce, with tight races in many battleground states. This could further exacerbate partisan tensions and provide foreign adversaries with opportunities to disrupt the democratic process.
The report pointed out that the CCP’s influence activities primarily focus on discrediting the U.S. government’s reputation and enhancing Beijing’s global stature. AI allows Beijing to increase the authenticity of false social media accounts and strengthen its disinformation campaigns.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that the Chinese authorities “utilize increasingly sophisticated strategies and technologies (including AI) to enhance their capacity to develop, tailor, and disseminate false information.”
The report also warned that the CCP is targeting U.S. disaster response actions by spreading rumors, such as blaming Hawaii wildfires on U.S. military activities.
The Department of Homeland Security believes that “this could affect disaster relief and recovery efforts, putting emergency responders, facilities, and survivors at risk.”
The report indicated that Russian “influence actors” magnified reports concerning immigration to the U.S., attempting to stoke societal divisions and using generative AI to create realistic fake U.S. media websites to publish unreal news articles.
To support these actions, Russia has also hired external private companies to conceal the link between these operations and the Kremlin.
The report stated that Iran’s foreign influence activities are becoming “increasingly aggressive,” attempting to stoke conflicts and undermine people’s confidence in the democratic system.
The Department of Homeland Security said that in one instance, Iranian actors disguised as activists online, encouraged protests against the Gaza conflict.
The report pointed out that domestic violent extremists pose another serious threat. The two attacks on Trump highlighted the seriousness of these threats.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that domestic extremists are expected to attempt violent actions “with the aim of instilling fear among voters, candidates, and election workers and disrupting the electoral process.”
Assessors warned that locations including polling stations, ballot drop boxes, voter registration sites, campaign event locations, party offices, and counting locations could all be potential targets of domestic extremists.