OpenAI says it disrupted Russian and Iranian influence ops that used ChatGPT

What happened

A Latin American propaganda operation run by Russians and a cluster of Iranian fake journalist identities each had help from now-closed ChatGPT accounts, OpenAI's safety team said. In a safety report on Thursday, ChatGPT maker OpenAI said it had banned accounts linked to both campaigns, which used artificial intelligence alongside more traditional tactics to spread political propaganda. OpenAI is an artificial intelligence company based in San Francisco, and its products and services include ChatGPT.

The campaign also recruited people in Latin America to conduct research for the center, apparently without disclosing its Russian connections. “The available evidence suggests that these on-the-ground employees had no idea that they were working for a Russian operation, and conducted research tasks in good faith,” OpenAI said.

Russian operatives used ChatGPT to help run a covert influence campaign across Latin America, including by setting up a fake research organization called the Social Research Center (SRC). The center publicly described itself as a research platform focused on the Indian diaspora in Latin America and relations between India and countries in the region. According to OpenAI, however, Russian operatives appeared to control the organization through a fabricated identity.