On October 29, DSET took part in a public forum hosted by Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center on global disinformation governance. Dr. Kai-Shen Huang, director of DSET’s Democracy Governance Research Program, delivered a keynote presentation based on DSET’s latest policy report, GenAI and Democracy, analyzing the impact of AI-generated disinformation in Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election.
Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Larry Diamond welcomed attendees and acknowledged DSET’s policy contributions. DSET CEO Dr. Jeremey Chih-Cheng Chang introduced DSET’s mission and reaffirmed its commitment to Track 1.5 diplomacy, strengthening partnerships with leading global think tanks. Dr. Huang and Non-Resident Research Fellow Yun-Pu Tu participated in discussions with Diamond, Stanford visiting professor Florence G’Sell, Hoover Institution researcher Sergey Sanovich, and scholars from Stanford’s Global Digital Policy Incubator.
Dr. Huang emphasized that Taiwan’s historical experience with authoritarian rule has made the country deeply committed to free and fair elections. Given the heightened geopolitical threats Taiwan faces, he underscored the urgency of developing governance mechanisms for disinformation while preserving freedom of speech. He called for a nuanced approach, including the classification of different types of disinformation and the development of tailored policy responses.
Tu addressed audience questions, highlighting the vulnerabilities of Taiwan’s Indigenous communities to disinformation during elections. She noted that Indigenous Taiwanese are overrepresented in the military, making them particularly susceptible to targeted disinformation in enclosed military environments. Dr. Huang concluded by stating that DSET will continue sharing case studies and contributing to global discussions on disinformation governance.