OpenAI shuts down election influence operation that used ChatGPT

Comment
OpenAI has banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts linked to an Iranian influence operation that was generating content about the U.S. presidential election, according to a blog post on Friday. The company says the operation created AI-generated articles and social media posts, though it doesn’t seem that it reached much of an audience.
This is not the first time OpenAI has banned accounts linked to state-affiliated actors using ChatGPT maliciously. In May the company disrupted five campaigns using ChatGPT to manipulate public opinion.
These episodes are reminiscent of state actors using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to attempt to influence previous election cycles. Now similar groups (or perhaps the same ones) are using generative AI to flood social channels with misinformation. Similar to social media companies, OpenAI seems to be adopting a whack-a-mole approach, banning accounts associated with these efforts as they come up.
OpenAI says its investigation of this cluster of accounts benefited from a Microsoft Threat Intelligence report published last week, which identified the group (which it calls Storm-2035) as part of a broader campaign to influence U.S. elections operating since 2020.
Microsoft said Storm-2035 is an Iranian network with multiple sites imitating news outlets and “actively engaging US voter groups on opposing ends of the political spectrum with polarizing messaging on issues such as the US presidential candidates, LGBTQ rights, and the Israel-Hamas conflict.” The playbook, as it has proven to be in other operations, is not necessarily to promote one policy or another but to sow dissent and conflict.
OpenAI identified five website fronts for Storm-2035, presenting as both progressive and conservative news outlets with convincing domain names like “evenpolitics.com.” The group used ChatGPT to draft several long-form articles, including one alleging that “X censors Trump’s tweets,” which Elon Musk’s platform certainly has not done (if anything, Musk is encouraging former president Donald Trump to engage more on X).
On social media, OpenAI identified a dozen X accounts and one Instagram account controlled by this operation. The company says ChatGPT was used to rewrite various political comments, which were then posted on these platforms. One of these tweets falsely, and confusingly, alleged that Kamala Harris attributes “increased immigration costs” to climate change, followed by “#DumpKamala.”
OpenAI says it did not see evidence that Storm-2035’s articles were shared widely and noted a majority of its social media posts received few to no likes, shares, or comments. This is often the case with these operations, which are quick and cheap to spin up using AI tools like ChatGPT. Expect to see many more notices like this as the election approaches and partisan bickering online intensifies.
Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage.
Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly.
The latest Fintech news and analysis, delivered every Tuesday.
TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice.
This post contains spoilers for the movie “Alien: Romulus” In the long-running “Alien” movie franchise, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation can’t seem to let go of a terrible idea: It keeps trying…
Thomas Ingenlath is having perhaps a little too much fun in his Polestar 3, silently rocketing away from stop signs and swinging through tightening bends, grinning like a man far…
Some parents have reservations about the South Korean government’s plans to bring tablets with AI-powered textbooks into classrooms, according to a report in The Financial Times. The tablets are scheduled…
Featured Article
Season 3 of “Industry” focuses on the fictional bank Pierpoint blends the worlds — and drama — of tech, media, government, and finance.
Featured Article
Selling under such circumstances is often not as poor of an outcome for founders and key staff as it initially seems. 
While the rapid pace of funding has slowed, many fintechs are continuing to see growth and expand their teams.
This is just one area of leadership where Parker Conrad takes a contrarian approach. He also said he doesn’t believe in top-down management.
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi issued a statement late yesterday laying out her opposition to SB 1047, a California bill that seeks to regulate AI. “The view of many of us in…
Data analytics company Palantir has faced criticism and even protests over its work with the military, police, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but co-founder and CEO Alex Karp isn’t…
Timo Resch is basking in the sun. That’s literally true, as we speak on a gloriously clear California day at the Quail, one of Monterey Car Week’s most prestigious events.…
Made by Google was this week, featuring a full range of reveals from Google’s biggest hardware event. Google unveiled its new lineup of Pixel 9 phones, including the $1,799 Pixel…
I’ve been playing around with OpenAI’s Advanced Voice Mode for the last week, and it’s the most convincing taste I’ve had of an AI-powered future yet. This week, my phone…
X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, said today that it’s ending operations in Brazil, although the service will remain available to users in the country. The announcement…
One of the biggest questions looming over the drone space is how to best use the tech. Inspection has become a key driver, as the autonomous copters are deployed to…
Brands can use Keychain to look up different products and see who actually manufactures them.
In this post, we explain the many Microsoft Copilots available and what they do, and highlight the key differences between each.
A hack on UnitedHealth-owned tech giant Change Healthcare likely stands as one of the biggest data breaches of U.S. medical data in history.
Gogoro has deferred its India plans over delay in government incentives, but the Taiwanese company has partnered with Rapido for a bike-taxi pilot.
On Friday, the venture firm Andreessen Horowitz tweeted out a link to its guide on how to “build your social media presence” which features advice for founders.
OpenAI has banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts linked to an Iranian influence operation that was generating content about the U.S. presidential election, according to a blog post on Friday.…
Apple is reportedly shifting into the world of home robots after the wheels came off its electric car. According to a new report from Bloomberg, a team of several hundred…
Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. I’m Anna Heim from TechCrunch’s international team, and I’ll be writing this newsletter…
MIT this week showcased tiny batteries designed specifically for the purpose of power these systems to execute varied tasks.
Rimac revealed Friday during The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering at Monterey Car Week the Nevera R, an all-electric hypercar that’s meant to push the performance bounds of its predecessor.
While the ethics of AI-generated porn are still under debate, using the technology to create nonconsensual sexual imagery of people is, I think we can all agree, reprehensible. One such…
Almost two weeks ago, TechCrunch reported that African e-commerce giant Jumia was planning to sell 20 million American depositary shares (ADSs) and raise more than $100 million, given its share…
We’re entering the final week of discounted rates for TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. Save up to $600 on select individual ticket types until August 23. Join a dynamic crowd of over…
Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, announced on Friday that it has officially launched its rival iOS app store in the European Union. The Epic Games Store is also launching…
After bringing AI overviews to the U.S., Google is expanding the AI-powered search summaries to six more countries: India, Brazil, Japan, the U.K., Indonesia and Mexico. These markets will also…
The Commission is seeking more information from Meta following its decision to deprecate its CrowdTangle transparency tool. The latest EU request for information (RFI) on Meta has been made under…
Powered by WordPress VIP

source
Sponsor:News technical sponsor
Sponsor:News AI sponsor
Sponsor: AI sponsor
Sponsor: AI sponsor