OpenAI says Iran, Russia influence ops busted

OpenAI's report showed how state actors could exploit widely available AI tools to spread sophisticated propaganda against adversaries at scale. (EPA Images pic) WASHINGTON: 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 actors can easily exploit widely available AI tools to peddle sophisticated propaganda against adversaries on a mass scale.

The American AI giant said it banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts that originated in Russia and Iran and were used to support "false front" entities for geopolitical and conflict-related messaging.

The Iranian operation involved seven "journalist" profiles, each purporting to be from Western countries including the United States, that were used to plant long-form articles in media outlets around the world.

"We identified almost 100 articles published or syndicated under the operation's bylines across roughly a dozen online outlets around the world," OpenAI said.

"These were small to medium outlets, generally focused on international affairs, geopolitics, and events in the Middle East."

The earliest article identified by OpenAI was published in July 2025, and the latest in October 2026, with the frequency of reports increasing after the US-Iran war broke out earlier this year.

The operation also generated social media comments on topics related to the US-Iran war, it added.

One of the personas named Ervin B. Hoskins, whose bio claimed to be "an American freelance writer," had social media accounts across tech platforms including Elon Musk's X and Meta-owned Instagram.

X's transparency information showed the account was connected via a "West Asia android app" and Instagram's transparency information showed the account was based in Iran, according to screenshots provided by OpenAI.

Both accounts appeared to be suspended.

The Russian operation co-opted "unwitting people" in Latin America to run a "think-tank" - called the Social Research Center (SRC) - used for covert activities aimed at undermining Ukraine's reputation in the region and to influence local politics, the company said.

"The available evidence indicates that the SRC's employees in Latin America were not aware that they were working for a Russian group," OpenAI said.

"The SRC appears to have produced a majority of original content via its co-opted staff. 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."