the staff of Ridgewood blog
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — OpenAI has taken a major step in countering the global misuse of artificial intelligence. In its latest threat report, the company revealed that it disrupted 10 covert influence operations that used its generative AI tools, with at least four of them likely tied to the Chinese government.
The findings highlight the increasing use of AI-driven tools like ChatGPT to manipulate online narratives, generate propaganda, and even create internal documentation for covert influence campaigns.
🔍 What the Report Uncovered
OpenAI, the developer behind ChatGPT and other generative AI tools, disclosed the following in its June security report:
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10 influence campaigns were identified and dismantled over the past three months.
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Four of these operations were traced back to China, while others were linked to Russia, Iran, Cambodia, North Korea, and the Philippines.
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The tactics used included AI-generated social media content, internal performance reviews, fake news articles, phishing emails, and even intelligence-gathering efforts posing as journalists.
“What we’re seeing from China is a growing range of covert operations using a growing range of tactics,” said Ben Nimmo, principal investigator on OpenAI’s Intelligence and Investigations team.
🇨🇳 Inside China’s AI-Powered Propaganda Campaigns
One China-linked operation, dubbed “Sneer Review”, used ChatGPT to:
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Generate multilingual comments (in English, Chinese, and Urdu) posted across TikTok, Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook.
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Create both initial posts and reply chains to simulate organic engagement.
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Criticize a Taiwanese video game targeting the Chinese Communist Party and fabricate backlash stories to spread disinformation.
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Write a detailed internal performance review describing how the campaign was created and executed.
OpenAI noted that the behavior observed on social media platforms mirrored the procedures outlined in these AI-generated internal documents.
Another Chinese operation used ChatGPT to:
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Pose as journalists and geopolitical analysts
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Write fake biographies, translate sensitive content, and analyze internal communications
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Review correspondence allegedly addressed to a U.S. Senator, although OpenAI could not verify the document’s origin
🌍 Global Reach of AI Misuse
Other countries were also implicated in this wave of AI abuse:
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Russia and Iran were tied to similar disinformation campaigns.
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A Philippines-based company was using AI tools for spam marketing.
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A Cambodian-linked scam involved fake job recruitment.
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A North Korean-style campaign appeared as a deceptive employment scheme.
Despite the breadth of activity, most campaigns were disrupted early before reaching large audiences. OpenAI emphasized that AI did not increase the reach or effectiveness of these operations.
“Better tools don’t necessarily mean better outcomes,” Nimmo said, noting that most of the campaigns failed to engage significant numbers of real users.
📊 AI’s Role in Disinformation & Surveillance
This isn’t the first time OpenAI has called out foreign misuse of its tools. In a February 2025 report, the company uncovered a China-based surveillance operation that monitored protests in the West using AI-generated code and marketing materials to promote social media monitoring tools.
In the most recent report, OpenAI also highlighted attempts by foreign actors to use ChatGPT to:
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Translate sensitive intelligence
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Debug code used for phishing or surveillance
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Generate deceptive political commentary ahead of the 2024 U.S. elections
🚨 What This Means Going Forward
OpenAI’s action signals an evolving front in the fight against AI-enabled foreign influence and surveillance campaigns. The company has banned all accounts associated with the operations, and it continues to monitor threats in real time.
The developments serve as a wake-up call for regulators, platforms, and tech companies to increase transparency and security as AI becomes more embedded in global digital communication.
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