OpenAI bans accounts tied to Russian, Iranian influence campaigns

OpenAI said it banned Russian- and Iranian-linked ChatGPT accounts that supported influence operations, including a purported Latin American think tank and fake journalist personas used to spread political messaging. The company described the operations in a report published Thursday, October 8, and said the Iranian campaign published or syndicated almost 100 articles across roughly a dozen online outlets. According to OpenAI, the Russian-linked operation used the Social Research Center, presented as a regional think tank, to influence Latin American politics and undermine Ukraine’s reputation. The organization’s staff in the region appeared unaware of the Russian connection, the company said. OpenAI described the effort as its most complex attempt in more than two years to disrupt a front identity. The operation also used ChatGPT to draft reports about its work, OpenAI said. The company reported that some of the accounts claimed credit for events they had not caused. It did not identify a specific Russian government or intelligence agency as directing the campaign.