Russian operation that used ChatGPT tricked schools, a politician and media, OpenAI says

OpenAI says a Russian influence operation used ChatGPT to deceive U.S. schools, an elected official and media outlets, putting the credibility of education and public discourse at risk. The operation’s goal was to shape opinions through AI‑generated content, leveraging the apparent neutrality of a widely used chatbot. Stakeholders include students, teachers, the targeted politician and the broader media ecosystem that could unwittingly amplify false narratives.

OpenAI announced the ban of two covert influence campaigns—one Russian and one Iranian—and detailed the use of AI‑driven journalists and think‑tank fronts to infiltrate Western media, according to NBC News and CyberScoop. Unite.AI and TradingView reported the same ban, while the International Burke Institute analysis on VSquare described the academic façade the Russian group employed to reach schools. The coordinated use of false fronts and chatbot output demonstrates a systematic approach to disguise state‑sponsored messaging.

Coverage does not yet specify how many individuals were affected or the precise mechanisms by which the chatbot content was distributed, leaving open questions about the operation’s scale and the effectiveness of OpenAI’s remediation steps. Further details on the parallel Iranian campaign remain limited, suggesting additional investigative work is forthcoming.