Skip to content

TechnologyDeveloping

OpenAI says it banned accounts tied to Russian and Iranian influence operations

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets across the spectrum.

5 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

OpenAI said Thursday in a safety report that it had banned several ChatGPT accounts linked to two influence operations, one based in Russia and one in Iran. The company said the operations used its models alongside other techniques to push political messages online. According to France 24, the Iranian operation used seven profiles posing as Western journalists to place lengthy articles in media outlets worldwide. The Hill reported that the Russian operation had the greatest reach of any such scheme the company has disclosed. NPR reports that Russian operatives used the chatbot to update their bosses, and the company says the campaigns had not previously been attributed to Russia.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. OpenAI said Thursday it banned accounts tied to influence operations based in Russia and Iran.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    NPR
    Center
    The Hill, France 24
    Right
    Washington Examiner

  2. OpenAI said the operations used ChatGPT to support false front entities, including seven profiles posing as Western journalists in the Iranian operation.

    Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    France 24
    Right
    Washington Examiner

  3. OpenAI said the operations used ChatGPT to support a purported think tank spreading anti-Ukraine propaganda.

    One outletFrance 24· Center

  4. OpenAI said the Russian operation had the greatest reach of any influence operation it has disclosed.

    One outletThe Hill· Center

  5. OpenAI said Russian operatives used its chatbot to update their bosses, and that the campaigns had not previously been attributed to Russia.

    One outletNPR· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    2 outlets

    The only left-side coverage here is one NPR report, whose headline leads with the finding that OpenAI caught Russians and Iranians using ChatGPT for influence campaigns, and whose description centers on Russian operatives reporting to their bosses.

    Iranian campaign planted fake articles in real U.S. publications using ChatGPT
    The Washington PostLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    The Hill’s headline frames the story as political agenda pushed through AI and media, while France 24 names the networks directly and describes ChatGPT use for fake journalist personas and anti-Ukraine propaganda; both present the findings as OpenAI’s disclosure.

    OpenAI bans Russian, Iranian ChatGPT propaganda networks
    France 24CenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The Washington Examiner headline puts ‘false front’ in quotes and frames the event as a crackdown on threat actors, with public concern about advanced AI added as context.

    OpenAI bans ‘false front’ influence operations in Russia and Iran
    Washington ExaminerRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center1

    covertly peddle

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    covertly peddleMore neutral: covertly spread

    Peddle implies commercial salesmanship and judgement about the messages, while the reported facts are that the accounts pushed content covertly.

    …from and -- that used to push fake journalist personas and run a "think-tank" to covertly peddle anti-Ukraine .

    Used byFrance 24 (Center)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Russian operatives reporting to their bosses
  • influence campaigns not previously attributed to Russia
  • OpenAI as the party that caught the operations

Leaves out

  • the seven fake journalist profiles in the Iranian operation
  • the anti-Ukraine think tank content

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Washington PostLeft

    Iranian campaign planted fake articles in real U.S. publications using ChatGPT

    ChatGPT users in Iran made more than 100 fake articles published across at least 20 news outlets, OpenAI said.

    Read at The Washington Post (opens in a new tab)
  • NPRLeft

    OpenAI caught Russians and Iranians using ChatGPT for influence campaigns

    The company says Russian operatives used its AI chatbot to update their bosses, shedding light on influence campaigns previously not attributed to Russia.

    Read at NPR (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • fake journalist personas posing as Western journalists
  • greatest reach recorded by OpenAI
  • anti-Ukraine propaganda through a purported think tank

Leaves out

  • that the Russian campaign had not previously been attributed to Russia

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • France 24Center

    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. …

    Read at France 24 (opens in a new tab)
  • The HillCenter

    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. …

    Read at The Hill (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • ‘false front’ entities designed for covert influence
  • crackdown on threat actors
  • public concern about advanced AI
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • Washington ExaminerRight

    OpenAI bans ‘false front’ influence operations in Russia and Iran

    OpenAI cracked down on threat actors in Russia and Iran that made use of the company’s chatbot to support “false front” entities designed to carry out covert influence operations around the world. …

    Read at Washington Examiner (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    59 min later

    Its first report, Oct 8, 8:25 PM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    The Hill, Oct 8, 7:26 PM EDT

  • Right

    27 min later

    Its first report, Oct 8, 7:53 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The HillCenterOct 8, 7:26 PM EDT
  2. France 24CenterOct 8, 7:42 PM EDT
  3. Washington ExaminerRightOct 8, 7:53 PM EDT
  4. NPRLeftOct 8, 8:25 PM EDT
  5. The Washington PostLeftOct 9, 5:00 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page