OpenAI said on Friday it had removed the accounts of an Iranian group for using its ChatGPT chatbot to generate content aimed at influencing the US presidential election and other issues.
The operation, identified as Storm-2035, used ChatGPT to generate content focused on topics such as commentary on candidates from both sides in the US election, the conflict in Gaza and Israel’s presence at the Olympics and then shared it via social media accounts and websites, Open AI said.
Research by the Microsoft-backed AI firm showed that ChatGPT was being used to generate long-form articles and shorter comments on social media.
OpenAI said the operation did not appear to have achieved significant audience engagement.
Most of the identified social media posts received few or no likes, comments or shares, and the company saw no indication that the web articles were shared on social media.
The accounts have been banned from using OpenAI services and the company continues to monitor activities for any additional attempts to violate policies, it said.
In early August, a Microsoft threat intelligence report said the Iranian Storm-2035 network, made up of four websites posing as news outlets, was actively engaging with groups of American voters on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
Engagement was building on “polarizing messages on issues such as U.S. presidential candidates, LGBTQ rights and the Israel-Hamas conflict,” the report said.
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump are locked in a tight race ahead of the November 5 presidential election.
The artificial intelligence company said in May that it had disrupted five covert influence operations seeking to use its models for “deceptive activities” on the internet.
