OpenAI said on Friday that it thwarted an Iranian influence campaign that used ChatGPT to generate fake news stories and social posts aimed at Americans. The company said it identified and banned accounts generating content for five websites (in English and Spanish) pretending to be news outlets, spreading “polarizing messages” on issues like the US presidential campaign, LGBTQ+ rights and the war in Gaza. The OpenAI Iranian influence operation involved generating false news to sway perceptions and incite division. #OpenAIIranianInfluenceOperation
The operation was identified as “Storm-2035,” part of a series of influence campaigns Microsoft identified last week as “connected with the Iranian government.” In addition to the news posts, it included “a dozen accounts on X and one on Instagram” connected to the operation. OpenAI said the op didn’t appear to have gained any meaningful traction. “The majority of social media posts that we identified received few or no likes, shares, or comments,” the company wrote.
OpenAI reported that the operation received a Category 2 rating on the Brookings Institution’s Breakout Scale. This rating indicates “activity on multiple platforms” but no widespread sharing. It means there was no evidence that real people widely engaged with the content.
OpenAI described the operation as creating content for faux conservative and progressive news outlets. This content targeted opposing viewpoints, according to Bloomberg. One piece suggested Donald Trump was “being censored on social media and prepared to declare himself king of the US.” Another framed Kamala Harris’ choice of Tim Walz as her running mate as a “calculated choice for unity.”
Furthermore, the OpenAI Iranian influence operation highlights the challenges of AI misuse and the need for robust monitoring systems. #OpenAIIranianInfluenceOperation
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