OpenAI Dismantles Russian and Iranian Disinformation Campaigns Relying on ChatGPT

OpenAI stated in a security report on disrupting AI-backed influence operations that it blocked accounts linked to two influence campaigns, one Russian and the other Iranian, that used ChatGPT to generate targeted content.

The company explained that the Russian campaign operated a fictitious research entity named the "Social Research Center," which presented itself as studying the Indian diaspora in Latin America and the region's relations with India, but was actually run by Russians behind a fabricated identity. Local researchers were recruited to work without being informed of the Russian connection; the company reported that these researchers did not know they were working for a Russian operation and performed their work in good faith. It noted that most of the center's outputs appeared to be genuine research, and the campaign aimed to damage Ukraine's standing in Latin America, alongside efforts targeting domestic politics in Argentina and Bolivia.

As for the Iranian campaign, it used seven fabricated journalist identities to present articles on the US-Iran conflict to news platforms. Approximately 100 articles were published or republished under these identities across roughly a dozen platforms, mostly small and medium-sized outlets covering international affairs and the Middle East, between July 2025 and October 2026. ChatGPT helped draft long-form articles, pitch drafts, and comments in English and Farsi. Engagement on social media platforms yielded modest numbers, but one of the publishing platforms has about two million followers on Facebook.

OpenAI did not attribute either campaign to specific individuals or entities, but noted that evidence in the Russian campaign points to a group known as Politology or La Compania, described as an extension of operations linked to the late Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner Group. It stated that operatives wrote in Russian and Farsi and used virtual private networks to access its services, which are blocked in their respective countries. The company observed that both campaigns resemble complex influence operations from the pre-AI era, with AI facilitating certain workflow steps.

What do these terms mean?

Influence Operation: An organized campaign aimed at altering public opinion on an issue by spreading misleading information or targeted content.

Fake Persona: An account or identity created under a fictitious name to conceal its real owners while publishing or communicating.

Virtual Network: A service that hides a user's real location and routes their connection through a server in another country, sometimes used to bypass geo-blocking.