Poland is stepping up its response to a surge in AI-generated disinformation aimed at shaping public opinion and undermining European unity, as officials warn that foreign-backed influence campaigns are becoming increasingly sophisticated. “A recent investigation into an anti-EU online campaign shows that Poland is being flooded by AI bots posing as Euroskeptic influencers,” Dariusz Standerski, Poland’s deputy minister for digital affairs, said in an interview with TVP World. “This is not just a technological issue. It’s a matter of democratic resilience.” Standerski said Polish cybersecurity services had identified the campaign spreading on TikTok, where AI-generated female personas were promoting anti-EU narratives. “Early in the morning on December 29, our services at NASK contacted TikTok,” he said. “TikTok actively shut down these profiles and stopped further dissemination and I appreciate that.” Still, Warsaw has asked the European Commission to take formal action. “Under the Digital Services Act, very large online platforms are obliged to have proper risk-management systems,” Standerski said. “These processes failed in TikTok’s case and the situation should never happen.” Asked about growing resistance from major technology companies, particularly in the United States, Standerski said EU law was non-negotiable. “If you want to sell your services in the European Union, you need to follow European law. That’s it,” he said, adding that enforcement measures, including multimillion-euro fines, show the bloc is serious. The deputy minister also warned that AI-driven disinformation poses a direct threat to elections. “We’ve seen many examples, including in Poland,” he said. “That’s why we need systematic solutions, like watermarking AI-generated content, before future campaigns, especially ahead of Poland’s elections in 2027.” Beyond regulation, Standerski argued that Europe must invest heavily to remain competitive in artificial intelligence. “Large language models are only the first step,” he said. “What Europe really needs is more investment in AI.” Poland plans to develop AI factories in Poznań and Krakow and is bidding to host a European AI Gigafactory as part of broader EU-level initiatives. “Our first step in AI was not a European success,” Standerski said. “We need to do our best to succeed in the second one.”
