Taipei's AI Election Playbook: Games, Avatars and Cosplay | T-Flash EP9

In Taiwan's capital, the race for mayor is entering its final stretch, and supporters on both sides are fired up. up. But beyond the usual rallies, this race has a playful twist, and people far beyond Taiwan are noticing. This is Puma Shen's Policy Island. His platform turned into a mini-game. Islanders explore at their own pace, and policy suddenly feels a lot more approachable. Incumbent Mayor Chang Wan-an answered with the Taipei Encore Stage, a 3D showcase of his four years in office that his team says was co-created with citizens and AI. Taiwan wants to be an AI island, and its capital's campaigns are already playing the part. Around the world, Gen Z is taking its anger to the streets. In Taipei, both camps are betting they can win young voters by letting them play. Will it work? Welcome to T-Flash. I'm Dennis Hsieh, your tech guy. Deepfakes, bot armies, fake news. When AI meets elections, those are usually the biggest fears. But Taiwan, the island making the chips that power the AI boom, is seeing something different. With local, mayoral, and county magistrate elections coming up in late November, candidates are competing over AI policies and turning campaigns into interactive experiences. And in Taipei, a new wave is gaining momentum. Supporters call it the ocean current. So where is this wave heading? Let's dive in. Democracies everywhere hear the same complaint. People feel they have no say. Across OECD countries, fewer than one in three people believe the political system gives them a voice. In Taipei's mayoral race, one campaign turned that problem into a game. Look at all these cute animals lining up to speak! Puma Shen, the Taipei mayoral candidate at the center of the Yang Liu campaign, has moved the old-fashioned soapbox online. Anyone can become a virtual animal and speak their mind. Within a day of launch, more than 10,000 people had signed up. You can read what others have said, and see which problems people in each part of Taipei care about most. But Shen went further, drawing in part on the problems residents raised. His team put more than 90 policy proposals on a 3D interactive heart policy island that anyone can explore. His post announcing it drew more than 100,000 likes in under 12 hours. Online, people compared it to Animal Crossing, and it has even been shared by users abroad. His rival, incumbent mayor Chang Wan-an, and candidates in other cities soon followed with policy islands of their own. On October 28, Chang's campaign unveiled Taipei Encore Stage, a 3D platform its team says was built with AI. The platform itself openly credits Shen's site for its interactive design. Political observers say the Ocean Current campaign has set off an unconventional experiment in democratic communication, One that especially appeals to to younger voters. The name Yang Liu is not something we came up with. It's actually a slogan that supporters came up with spontaneously. I think Yang Liu is a good slogan because it brings warmth. We all hope that Taipei will become a better city. We hope that Taipei will become a warm city. A proud city. That's why we all stood up for it. From the Ocean Current name, first coined by supporters, to fan-designed posters and streamers that ended up as official campaign material, Shen's supporters have brought fandom-style remix culture into politics. That sense of ownership, energy, and creativity has stunned people used to Taiwan's traditional top-down campaign machines. The fan who wrote this song included the lines, Your voice will not be silenced, and we want to see real action and answers we can understand. Funtek may help a campaign, but AI and digital tools alone don't win support. Young Taiwanese may not be taking to the streets like Gen Z in other countries, but many want change just as much. We've moved into a new home. We never come with empty-handed. Beyond the games, both candidates are selling an AI future, and both see the The Beitou Shilin Tech Park, where NVIDIA is building its Taiwan headquarters. As its hub. To be able to carry the mission of the AI century, to have a large enough area, and also to be close to the city center, is the 300-kilometer land around Songshan Airport and the surrounding area. We have to be here. To create Taipei AI. As long as you are 25 years old, we will directly give you the use of this AI tool. As soon as you enter the website, your money will be in it. Then, when you connect to a different tool, your income will be in it. Two candidates, two AI playbooks, Chang's centers on land, investment, and industry clusters. Shen pitches a more human touch, what he calls a basic right to AI for young people, with a monthly AI credit to close the gap in who can afford these tools. On November 28th, Taipei voters will decide which future they want for their city. So why Yang Liu or Ocean Current? That's because Puma Shen's Chinese name is Shen Boyang and the last character means ocean. And his campaign has sailed with it. Shen plays captain and supporters sign up as crew. More than 100,000 came aboard in a single day, even former president Tsai Ing-wen. No wonder some netizens compared him to Luffy, the one-piece captain who wings people over to his side. But the same pirate flag can tell a very different story elsewhere. While it's become a symbol of hope and unity in Taiwan, in other countries, it's a sign of defiance against those in power. The one-piece flag has appeared at protests from France to more than a dozen countries worldwide, often carried by Gen Z demonstrators. Raised on social media, young protesters are turning pop culture into political symbols. And for many, this pirate flag now represents resistance and the fight for freedom. Let's take a closer look. Gen Z grew up online, connected across borders, quick to mobilize, and ready to turn frustration into action. Since 2024, Gen Z-led protests have swept across the globe. In five countries, their movements have faded. In seven, governments have fallen. Most recently in Serbia, and in at least 12 others, protests are still ongoing. In Asia, that includes India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In Europe, France is the latest flashpoint, alongside Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. The triggers vary, but the frustration is similar. Corruption, unequal opportunities, and a system that many young people feel is stacked against them. But among these protests, Serbia stands out. So much so that Edward Joseph, a Balkans expert at Johns Hopkins University, argued in Foreign Policy that Serbia's students deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. For two years, students have pushed for change from the ground up through peaceful protest and political organizing. They've even worked together to select candidates from different walks of life. That's remarkable in a country dominated for 14 years by President Aleksandar Under his leadership, Serbia has maintained close ties with Moscow and Beijing, refused to join EU sanctions on Russia, and seen its EU membership stall. So what sparked the movement? A deadly railway station collapse linked to China's Belt and Road Initiative. In Novi Sad, a station canopy collapsed after renovation work by Chinese state-owned companies, killing 16 people. Students demanded answers about the tragedy and the government's contracts with Chinese firms. But when they held silent vigils, they faced attacks, fueling a wave of protests across the country. In late October, Aleksandar Vucic, who has dominated Serbian politics for 14 years, conceded defeat in the parliamentary election. He lost to the Student List, a grassroots alliance born out of a student protest movement. Many are calling it a miracle. It's unbelievable what we've worked on for the past two years. It finally became true and all of the work that we obviously and sacrifices put in are finally showing to be something good. The spark was lit in 2024 when a train station canopy in Novi Sad collapsed, killing 16 people. The tragedy ignited public fury. Students held silent vigils and walked out of class. Fueled by anger at government indifference and years of corruption, their marches spread across the country. They faced attacks by unidentified assailants, as well as police tear gas and smoke. Yet, for two years, the protesters held to non-violence, using messaging apps and social media to coordinate across regions without any central leadership. The movement also chose to operate within the system. Students voted to select political newcomers with clean records from a variety of professions to run for parliament, then traveled to towns and villages nationwide to spread their message and secure votes. Started by young people, with no clear leaders and a commitment to collective decision-making, the movement struck a chord. Serbians hungry for change turned out in force, pushing turnout to nearly 70%, the highest in more than three decades. I expect a big change after a very busy year, and I think everyone is aware of that. After the vote, Belgrade's streets witnessed a different kind of mobilization. Student activists and supporters came together to clean up a park previously occupied by Aleksandar Vucic's supports, giving the public space back to everyone. I think that the Balkans has become one of the important testing grounds for the resilience of democracy and its ability to fight back against the rising tide of authoritarian government. And I think Serbia is really the most important test case. Political scientist Francis Fukuyama, a long-time observer of the Balkans, called the result a stunning victory for a group of young people. But he says the real challenge is turning a decentralized, leaderless, non-hierarchical protest movement into a government. He even suggests Vucic's quick concession may be a strategy. Let the opposition take power and prove it can't govern. He points to Egypt after the Arab Spring, where a strong man fell but democracy failed to took root. Truth. While Serbians celebrate, the global youth protest waves show no signs of slowing. In France, young people's anger over an education budget squeezed by pensions, payouts, and over a deep generational divide in resources, quickly grew into a nationwide movement that cuts across social classes. In India, the cockroach janta party, born out of a political satire meme, took to the streets this summer over a leaked national exam. This fall, it flared up again over alleged irregularities in voter rolls. roles. In Indonesia, the spark was deep cuts to education spending, to pay for President Prabowo's campaign promise of free school meals. Students and academics pushed back, Then came police violence, corruption, and economic hardship, and the protests have burned on from the summer to this day. But for Hong Kong's Gen Z, pushing for change comes with a different set of risks. Changing things at the ballot box is a privilege. It takes hard work, and not everyone gets that chance. Nearly a year after Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades, the government has released an inquiry report. The Wangfu court police killed 168 people last November. Substandard scaffolding netting helped spread the flames, and some materials carried fake mainland Chinese safety certificates. On October 29, Chief Executive Zhong Li and senior officials bowed in apology, but only one housing official stepped down to take political responsibility. Survivors say the apology came too late. Days after the fire, 24-year-old student Miles Kwan handed out flyers calling for an independent investigation. National Security Police arrested him on suspicion of sedition and his university later expelled him. For Hong Kong's young generation, even demanding answers can come at a cost. When so many people are facing disasters, when so many people are facing injuries and deaths, we still have to put in the effort to say what we have to say. When we see that our officials are not putting in the effort in this disaster, I think we shouldn't hold back anymore. We have to face our own feelings honestly and let our own feelings come out. If these opinions are biased or are stepping on the bottom line, then I don't think I can predict the consequences anymore. I can only do what I truly believe in. Just 10 days after the fire, Hong Kong heads to the polls. Some called for the election to be postponed, but Chief Executive John Lee insisted it go ahead as planned. The government poured HK$1.28 billion into election promotion, with polling stations open for 16 hours. But there's a catch. Since 2021, all candidates have had to pass a screening process to qualify as patriots. The result? Just 31.9% turnout, the second lowest on record. In the district covering Tai Po, where the deadly fire broke out, turnout was the lowest in the city. And there's another twist. In Hong Kong, publicly urging people not to vote can be a criminal offense. Anti-corruption officers arrested 11 people over alleged cause for a boycott. Voting is about hope, hope that things can change. When that hope runs thin for some, Staying home is the only protest left. In Hong Kong, a generation of young people once took to the streets to demand change, but ultimately failed to achieve what they fought for. Across the street, Taiwan's Gen Z faces a different challenge, China's growing military pressure. Some are fighting back in quieter ways, urging their peers to help defend the island. Joseph Wang studied music at university. Today, he tracks China's People's Liberation Army using publicly available data. And it all started with a canceled graduation recital, one that changed the course of his life. Who was once a musician and now an imagery intelligence analyst. Back in 2021, Joseph created Taiwan's first People's Liberation Army bases and facilities interactive map from scratch, to show thousands of China's military bases. The origin of all of this is that from 2021 we know that the PLA military is frequently disturbing Taiwan. In fact, it started in 2019, but in 2019 it was in the southwestern airspace. I was in 2022. In 2022, because of a 疫情,所以呢,我的畢業音樂會就是被, 就是沒辦法舉辦這樣子,那我就是東吳大學音樂系呢, 極少數呢,不用辦畢業音樂會,這個就可以畢業, 這樣子,那突然時間就變得非常非常多, 那其實這個也是原本的這個動機是為了我們軍迷, 自己方便,就是我想要把這個解放軍軍機, 因為國防部那個時候有公布他的軌跡圖, 那我就想要把它對照一下, I'd like to show you the airport first. The 72nd Army Army Army imitates a rocket launcher. It's a... This report was taken in many different places. But the most important one is the place I just mentioned. So after that, you found the clips and then you will come to Google Earth Pro. Yes. I've actually seen these places before. This one. This one. This is a shot from a long time ago. I started by collecting the data from the open documents. I started by writing down the coordinates and units of the PLA. I had to collect a certain amount of data to be able to process the painting. I first saw it in October of 2023. He was shooting the artillery training here. So we can judge that the PLA has started to conduct exercises in the east of Zhejiang in recent years. It started in October of 2023. The trend has changed. So I know you've been working on this and then you faced threats as well from maybe like China nationalists. So what are the pressure or the things that outsiders may not know? I published this book on WeChat public number. What do you think that OSINT can help in this sector? In fact, the best public intelligence of the People's Liberation Army is still the United States. But I think that Taiwanese people also need to participate. The reason is that Taiwanese people are the closest group of people in the public intelligence of the People's Liberation Army. So I think the participation of Taiwanese people will be very meaningful. Joseph Wen is part of a new generation pushing back against Beijing and Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen is one of the pioneers who helped pave the way. A long-time critic of Chinese disinformation, Shen co-founded Kuma Academy, a civil defense group. Beijing has sanctioned him and launched a criminal investigation. Moves rights groups describe it as transnational repression. So beyond the playful campaigns, Taiwan's political scene faces much bigger challenges. We asked political scientists Ya, Yuan, Ye how technology is reshaping Taipei's mayoral race and how China's pressure factors in. Oftentimes, I mean, election still comes back to the fundamentals, which means the quality of the candidate, the campaign strategies, and the policy proposal or the policy performance, right? But AI does help. Campaigns this year have turned policy platforms into games you can actually explore. Have you tried any of them? What did you make of them? I think it is awfully surprising in a positive way. The point is, like I say, in the past, You know, over the past, we are trying very, very hard as political scientists, as policy makers, as politicians, to see how we attract the independent voter, especially the younger voter, because in a train of attentions among younger voters. So I think that's new strategies. Technology has made political conversations two-way and instant, and playful doesn't have to mean shallow. Is the Generation Z people doing politics in a completely different way? If our goal, our first goal, is to attract the younger generation to be interested in politics, to be paying attention to some specific candidate, playful is actually helpful, right? But the second question that you naturally follow up is, you know, if they now are playful within the campaign. Will they actually eventually pay attention to the policy? Because that's what matters, right? So I hope, you know, I mean, this is a long shot. From France to India to Indonesia, Gen Z is taking to the streets, sometimes clashing with police, while young Taiwanese seem to voice their frustration more calmly. Is that true? If so, why? I guess the key question is, is Taiwan's younger generation calmer or is it because Taiwan's younger generation is doing better? Beep, beep. Overexpensive housing price is still a thing in Taiwan, but if you're thinking about inflation, thinking about energy price, thinking about overall economic developments, Taiwan is actually doing much better than most of the country, right? In Serbia, a leaderless student movement born after the deadly 2024 station collapse Has just won the election. Is decentralized, Gen Z-style organizing a new path to power? Even though younger people tend to be much more decentralized, much more disorganized, but that doesn't really mean that they won't actually organize a social movement to express this issue. And we've seen that all the time. So I guess the question is, Whether we find the true cause to the social movement, to the true pressure to the young people, Gen Z tend to have a stronger, I would say, action point. Action point meaning that, you know, unlike senior generations, if they feel threatened, if they feel unsafe, they may actually take a move much quicker. AI and digital tools are now part of every campaign. What is their greatest upside for elections and their downside? In general, I would say AI tools are good because it does help to Campaign your election in a much more attractive and much more friendly way. They will be able to penetrate into different blocks of the society and into every single borders. I think the biggest downside is when you utilize AI to generate content, sometimes the content may not be authentic, which means the information that's been posted on your AI may not be verified. There have been reports about Beijing trying to influence this election, as always, from sanctions to media campaigns. So how does China factor into this municipal election, and do you think so far it has worked? First, Beijing always watches Taiwan's elections. Second, they always try different means to intervene into the elections. The most obvious intervention that we have seen is the cognitive warfare, is the spread of disinformation in Taiwan. All we have seen is the disinformation campaign, the cognitive warfare from Beijing polarizing the public, right? Making the DPP green supporters more green, making the KMT blue supporters more blue. So here's the thing. The only thing that tends to determine the election outcome is the independent voter. From Taipei's playable campaigns to student marches in Serbia and quiet defiance in Hong Kong, one thing is clear, people want a say in their future and young people most of all. Some take their anger to the streets, some take it to the ballot box. And in Taiwan, campaigns are trying to meet them where they are, online and at play. Can playful campaigns really win votes? Taipei will decide on November 28th. If you enjoyed this episode, like and Like and subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on notifications. I'm Dennis Ye. Thanks for watching.