OpenAI announced that it has blocked a group of ChatGPT accounts from Russia used for disinformation and covert propaganda.

The company OpenAI announced the blocking of a group of ChatGPT accounts from Russia, used in an international operation of influence and disinformation, according to CNBC. The investigation of the suspicious posts revealed a network designed to mask the Russian origin of propaganda messages.

The operators of the network used ChatGPT to generate comments and articles distributed on platforms such as Substack, Telegram, and Facebook, asking the artificial intelligence to eliminate any linguistic clues that could betray the origin. Although OpenAI is blocked in Russia, users circumvented the restrictions using VPNs. The campaign included the promotion of a fake institute, the International Burke Institute, which created the illusion of scientific authority.

The network developed a 'sovereignty index' favorable to Moscow, but the operation did not accumulate a significant audience. Nevertheless, the infrastructure created poses a major risk for the future. OpenAI had previously shut down accounts associated with pro-Russian organizations, but so far there have been no official reactions from the Russian authorities.