OpenAI Disrupts Iranian and Russian Influence Campaigns Using ChatGPT for Fake News Articles
9 Sources
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OpenAI disrupted an Iranian influence campaign that published AI articles across a dozen publications.
One ChatGPT-written article landed in a local Florida newspaper under a fake "Ervin Hoskins" byline, as reported by The Washington Post: OpenAI said that Hoskins was among seven bylines that appeared on the series of AI-generated articles, made by users who sent instructions to the chatbot in
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OpenAI caught Russians and Iranians using ChatGPT for influence campaigns
OpenAI says Russian operatives used its AI chatbot to update their bosses, shedding light on influence campaigns previously not attributed to Russia. Jeff Chiu/AP hide caption OpenAI said in a blog post on Thursday that it banned Russian and Iranian accounts that were using the company's
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Iran and Russia used ChatGPT for propaganda by 'fake journalists', OpenAI says
The American tech giant said it banned Russian and Iranian accounts that had been using ChatGPT models to generate content and fake journalist personas to spread false narratives about the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and sow division. OpenAI revealed on Thursday it had shut down two
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OpenAI bans Russian, Iranian ChatGPT propaganda networks
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
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Open AI says Iranian regime used ChatGPT to create fake articles
Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Persian article. Iranian regime agents have used OpenAI's super intelligence tool to create fake articles criticizing the U.S. war against the terror regime and succeeded in getting them published in international news outlets, the
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OpenAI says Iran, Russia influence ops busted
Washington (United States) (AFP) - 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
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OpenAI users in Russia, Iran used models to push political agenda online, in media
OpenAI banned several accounts associated with two propaganda operations based in Iran and Russia, respectively, it confirmed Thursday. The latter of which the tech company said had the greatest reach it has recorded since it began reporting on and disrupting such schemes. The influence operations
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OpenAI: OpenAI says Iran, Russia influence ops busted
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. The Russian operation co-opted "unwitting people" in Latin America to run a "think-tank" --
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Iran spread anti-Israel, US disinformation to global media through fake journalists, OpenAI says
Iran used artificial intelligence to generate social media comments, create at least seven fake journalist personas, and pitch long-form articles to global media outlets as part of a covert influence operation, OpenAI confirmed in an announcement released on Thursday. OpenAI said it had disrupted
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OpenAI shut down Russian and Iranian influence campaigns that exploited ChatGPT to create fake journalist personas and publish nearly 100 AI-generated articles across international outlets. The Iranian operation used seven fake Western journalist profiles to plant propaganda, while Russian operatives ran a fake think tank in Latin America to spread anti-Ukraine narratives.
OpenAI banned ChatGPT accounts linked to Iranian and Russian influence campaigns after discovering state actors used its AI tools to create fake journalist personas and publish propaganda across international media outlets. The disclosure marks one of the most sophisticated examples of AI exploitation for state-sponsored disinformation to date.
Source: The Hill
Iranian Operation Planted Nearly 100 AI-Generated Articles
The Iranian influence campaign created seven fake journalist profiles claiming to be Western writers and used ChatGPT to generate long-form articles that were published across roughly a dozen online outlets worldwide
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. OpenAI identified almost 100 articles published under these fake bylines from July 2025 through October 2026, with frequency increasing after the US-Iran war broke out earlier this year3
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. The operation sent instructions to ChatGPT in Persian to craft articles focused on the US-Iran conflict and American politics2
. OpenAI characterized the activity as "consistent with a commercial actor running a for-hire influence campaign," though the company could not identify the specific entity behind it2
.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Fake Journalist Ervin Hoskins Published Across Multiple Platforms
One prominent fake persona, Ervin Hoskins, claimed to be an American freelance writer and maintained social media accounts on X and Instagram
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. Platform transparency information revealed the X account connected via a "West Asia android app" while Instagram showed the account was based in Iran3
. Articles under the Hoskins byline appeared in outlets including a local Florida newspaper, progressive news site Daily Kos, and UK-based Middle East Monitor1
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. Middle East Monitor published at least 21 articles by four fake authors before removing the author pages2
. The operation also generated positive social media comments on the fake articles to boost their perceived popularity5
.Russian Campaign Created Fake Think Tank to Spread Anti-Ukraine Propaganda
The Russian influence campaign proved even more complex, establishing a fake think tank called the Social Research Center in Latin America that recruited unwitting researchers to produce content undermining Ukraine's reputation
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. OpenAI stated 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"4
. The available evidence indicates the Social Research Center's employees in Latin America were unaware they were working for a Russian group3
. Russian operatives primarily used ChatGPT to write internal reports detailing their work to superiors, rather than directly generating propaganda content2
.
Source: VOA
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Peruvian School Event Triggered Political Response
One Russian operation impersonated a regional educational authority in Peru and convinced schools to organize activities about Ukrainian nationalist figure Stepan Bandera, who remains controversial for his World War II-era alliance with Nazis
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. Polish media coverage of the event prompted a far-right Polish member of the European Parliament to propose banning people who support Bandera2
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. OpenAI noted "the Russian fake thus both fed on, and fed into, historical tensions between Ukrainians and Poles," describing it as the widest-reaching influence operation the company has encountered2
.AI Serves as Double-Edged Sword in Covert Operations
Darren Linvill, co-director of Clemson University's Watt Family Innovation Center Media Forensics Hub, explained that "Russians are constantly engaging in these sorts of active measures" involving narrative laundering and fake personas to spread propaganda aligned with Russia's worldview
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. However, the reliance on AI for propaganda also created vulnerabilities. "These Russian underlings were trying to use AI to create a shortcut and do less work in the same way that a lot of us use AI, but in this case it helped get them caught," Linvill noted2
. OpenAI's investigation revealed that campaigns focused on placing false narratives in established media outlets reached wider audiences than those relying solely on fake social media accounts2
. Watch how state actors continue adapting AI tools for propaganda networks and whether other AI companies will enhance detection capabilities to counter state-sponsored disinformation before it reaches mainstream audiences.References
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