OpenAI uncovers Russian and Iranian influence ops that planted fake stories in real news outlets

OpenAI exposed a Russian and an Iranian influence operation and banned the ChatGPT accounts involved. Both used fake identities to plant content in legitimate media rather than running social media campaigns, according to the company's investigation report. OpenAI had previously uncovered a different Russian campaign built on social media and a fake think tank.

The Russian operation, "Dark Clark," spread disinformation across Latin America to discredit Ukraine and destabilize local politics. The actors controlled a think tank through a fictitious persona and likely roped in local staffers without their knowledge. Fabricated audio files and documents triggered fact-checks and official denials in Ecuador and Peru. OpenAI rates it category 5 out of 6 on the Breakout Scale because politicians reacted to the content, making it the first category 5 case in two and a half years of reporting.

The Iranian operation, "Bogus Bylines," used seven fake journalists to place nearly 100 articles about the US-Iran conflict in online outlets worldwide. The actors also generated social media comments, though those gained almost no traction. Both operations used AI mainly for internal reporting and to adapt propaganda to different languages.

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