OpenAI Shuts Down Russian and Iranian ChatGPT Influence Operations
- OpenAI shut down two covert influence operations originating from Russia and Iran that utilized ChatGPT to deploy fake journalist personas and operate a false-front think tank for anti-Ukraine...
- The American artificial intelligence company banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts used to support false-front entities for geopolitical and conflict-related messaging.
- The Iranian operation involved seven journalist profiles purporting to be from Western countries, including the United States.
OpenAI shut down two covert influence operations originating from Russia and Iran that utilized ChatGPT to deploy fake journalist personas and operate a false-front think tank for anti-Ukraine and geopolitical propaganda, afp.com reported Thursday.
OpenAI Disrupts Russia and Iran AI Propaganda Networks
The American artificial intelligence company banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts used to support false-front entities for geopolitical and conflict-related messaging. The takedown highlights how state actors can easily exploit widely available AI tools to peddle sophisticated propaganda against adversaries on a mass scale, according to afp.com and economictimes.indiatimes.com.
The Iranian operation involved seven journalist profiles purporting to be from Western countries, including the United States. These profiles planted long-form articles in media outlets around the world, as reported by afp.com.
OpenAI identified nearly 100 articles published or syndicated under the operation’s bylines across approximately a dozen online outlets globally. These targets were small to medium-sized outlets generally focused on international affairs, geopolitics, and Middle East events.
Timeline of Discovered Influence Operations
The earliest article linked to the Iranian operation surfaced in July 2025. The latest identified report appeared in October 2026, with publication frequency accelerating after the outbreak of the US-Iran war earlier in the year, afp.com and economictimes.indiatimes.com noted.
One specific persona named Ervin B. Hoskins claimed in a biography to be an American freelance writer and maintained social media accounts on platforms including Elon Musk’s X and Meta-owned Instagram. Transparency information from X indicated the account connected via a West Asia android app, while Instagram records showed the account was based in Iran. Both accounts appeared suspended.
In parallel, the Russian operation co-opted unwitting people in Latin America to run a think tank called the Social Research Center. This entity carried out covert activities designed to undermine Ukraine’s reputation in the region and influence local politics, afp.com stated.
The available evidence indicates that the SRC’s employees in Latin America were not aware that they were working for a Russian group.
OpenAI
The Social Research Center produced most of its original content through its co-opted staff, representing the most complex attempt to run a front identity disrupted by OpenAI over a two-and-a-half-year period, economictimes.indiatimes.com reported.