OpenAI shuts down Russian, Iranian influence operations using ChatGPT to spread propaganda

OpenAI said on Thursday that it had disrupted two influence operations linked to Russia and Iran that used ChatGPT to create fake journalist identities and operate a purported ‘think-tank’ to secretly spread anti-Ukraine propaganda. The findings highlight how state-linked actors can exploit widely accessible artificial intelligence tools to produce and distribute sophisticated propaganda targeting political adversaries on a large scale. The American AI company said it banned a group of ChatGPT accounts originating in Russia and Iran that were being used to support ‘false front’ entities involved in geopolitical and conflict-related messaging.

Iranian operation used fake journalist profiles

According to OpenAI, the Iranian operation relied on seven purported journalist profiles, each claiming to be based in a Western country, including the United States. The accounts were used to publish 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.” OpenAI said the earliest article it identified was published in July 2025, while the most recent appeared in October 2026. The frequency of the articles increased after the US-Iran war began earlier this year. The operation also generated social media comments discussing issues related to the conflict between the United States and Iran, the company said.

One of the alleged personas, Ervin B. Hoskins, described himself in a biography as "an American freelance writer." The identity had social media accounts on several technology platforms, including Elon Musk's X and Instagram, which is owned by Meta. Screenshots provided by OpenAI showed that X's transparency information linked the account to a "West Asia android app", while Instagram's transparency information indicated that the account was based in Iran.

Both accounts appeared to have been suspended.

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Russian operation used Latin American workers to target Ukraine

The Russian-linked operation used ‘unwitting people’ in Latin America to operate a purported ‘think-tank’ called the Social Research Center (SRC), OpenAI said. The group allegedly conducted covert activities intended to damage Ukraine's reputation across the region and influence local political discussions. "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.

According to the company, the SRC relied largely on original material produced by workers who had been recruited without knowing the operation's alleged Russian links. “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.” OpenAI said the operation was among the most sophisticated attempts to establish a false organisational identity that it had disrupted in the previous two and a half years.