We and our partners do the following data processing based on your consent: store and/or access information on a device, personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development OpenAI said Thursday it shut down Russian and Iranian influence operations that used ChatGPT to create fake journalist personas and support a purported think tank spreading anti-Ukraine propaganda. The Iranian operation involved seven profiles posing as Western journalists to place lengthy articles in media outlets worldwide, the AI company said. OpenAI had been widely expected to go public this fall, but it has since pushed back the listing © ANDREJ IVANOV, OpenAI on Thursday said it shut down two influence operations -- from Russia and Iran -- that used ChatGPT to push fake journalist personas and run a "think-tank" to covertly peddle anti-Ukraine propaganda.
OpenAI's report is the latest illustration of how state actors can easily exploit widely available AI tools to peddle sophisticated propaganda against adversaries on a mass scale. The American AI giant said it banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts that originated in Russia and Iran and were used to support "false front" entities for geopolitical and conflict-related messaging. The Iranian operation involved seven "journalist" profiles, each purporting to be from Western countries including the United States, that were used to plant long-form articles in media outlets around the world.
Read moreWhite House promotes 'Trump TV' with AI-altered photo "We identified almost 100 articles published or syndicated under the operation's bylines across roughly a dozen online outlets around the world," OpenAI said. "These were small to medium outlets, generally focused on international affairs, geopolitics, and events in the Middle East." The earliest article identified by OpenAI was published in July 2025, and the latest in October 2026, with the frequency of reports increasing after the US-Iran war broke out earlier this year. The operation also generated social media comments on topics related to the US-Iran war, it added.
One of the personas named Ervin B. Hoskins, whose bio claimed to be "an American freelance writer," had social media accounts across tech platforms including Elon Musk's X and Meta-owned Instagram. X's transparency information showed the account was connected via a "West Asia android app" and Instagram's transparency information showed the account was based in Iran, according to screenshots provided by OpenAI.
The Russian operation co-opted "unwitting people" in Latin America to run a "think-tank" -- called the Social Research Center (SRC) -- used for covert activities aimed at undermining Ukraine's reputation in the region and to influence local politics, the company said. "The available evidence indicates that the SRC's employees in Latin America were not aware that they were working for a Russian group," OpenAI said. "The SRC appears to have produced a majority of original content via its co-opted staff.
This stands out as the most complex attempt to run a front identity that we've disrupted over the past two and a half years." The World This Week## AI: Silicon species or Trojan horse? Riyadh calling, Russia votes and the Ed Sheeran debate 1. 1 ## 'We're fed up': Paris students rise up in a movement that shows no sign of slowing On the ground France Includes a video 3 min 2. 2 ## French student unions demand talks with Lecornu as PM seeks to ease tensions As it happened France 3. 3 ## What France's student protesters want – and what the government is offering Explainer France Includes a video 2 min 4. 4 ## Christa Pike 'angry and confused' after surviving Tennessee execution attempt Americas 5. 5 ## How Lula’s successes in Brazil may have paved the way for his presidential defeat Explainer Americas 6. 6 ## French interior ministry estimates 250,000 join student protests; organisers claim 450,000 As it happened France © 2026 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved. France 24 is not responsible for the content of external websites.
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