OpenAI shuts down influential Iranian op-ed using ChatGPT to generate fake news articles

OpenAI said on Friday it had foiled an Iranian influence campaign that used ChatGPT to generate fake news and social media posts targeting Americans. The company said it identified and blocked accounts producing content for five websites (in English and Spanish) that masqueraded as news outlets, spreading “divisive messages” on issues such as the US presidential campaign, LGBTQ+ rights and the war in Gaza.

The project was identified as “Storm-2035,” part of a series of influence campaigns Microsoft identified last week as “linked to the Iranian government.” In addition to the news post, it includes “twelve accounts on X and one on Instagram” linked to the operation. OpenAI said the op didn’t seem to achieve anything meaningful. “Most of the social media posts we identified received few or no likes, shares, or comments,” the company wrote.

In addition, OpenAI said that on the Brookings Institution’s Breakout Scale, which measures threats, the performance only charts a Stage 2 rating (on a scale of one to six). That means it has shown “activity on multiple platforms, but no evidence that real people are picking up or sharing their content widely.”

OpenAI described the work as creating fake and persistent media content, targeting opposing viewpoints. Bloomberg he said the content suggested that Donald Trump “has been censored on social media and is determined to declare himself the king of America.” One framed Kamala Harris’ choice of Tim Walz as her running mate as a “calculated choice of unity.”

OpenAI added that the project also created content about Israel’s presence in the Olympics and (to a lesser extent) Venezuelan politics, Latin American civil rights and Scottish Independence. In addition, the campaign emphasized things that are heavy on commenting on fashion and beauty, “which may seem too true or an attempt to build a following.”

“The operation tried to play both sides but it didn’t look like they were engaged,” said OpenAI Intelligence and Investigations investigator Ben Nimmo. Bloomberg.

The move follows revelations earlier this week that Iranian hackers targeted the Harris and Trump campaigns. The FBI said that Trump’s informal adviser Roger Stone was the victim of an email phishing attack. The Iranian hackers then took control of his account and sent messages with phishing links to others. The FBI found no evidence that anyone in the Harris campaign fell for the scheme.