OpenAI bans Iranian group’s ChatGPT accounts for trying to influence U.S. elections

OpenAI said on Friday it had taken down ChatGPT accounts tied to an Iranian influence campaign that was generating and sharing content focused on the U.S. presidential election and other issues.

The operation, identified as Storm-2035, used ChatGPT to generate content on topics such as commentary on candidates on both sides in the U.S. presidential election, the conflict in Gaza, Israel’s presence at the Olympic Games, and the rights of Latinx communities in the U.S.

According to OpenAI, the influence campaign used its chatbot to produce long-form articles and shorter social media comments.

The articles were published on five websites that posed as both progressive and conservative news outlets. The short comments, created in both English and Spanish, were posted on X and Instagram (META).

However, the Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)-backed company noted that the operation did not result in meaningful audience engagement.

OpenAI added that most social media posts that it identified received few or no likes, shares, or comments. The company also did not find indications of the web articles being shared across social media.

The company said it had banned the accounts from using its service and would continue to monitor for any further attempts to violate its policies. It added it had shared the “threat intelligence with government, campaign, and industry stakeholders.”

In early August, Microsoft (MSFT) released a report detailing Iran’s efforts to target U.S. elections. The report said that Iranian network Storm-2035, comprising four websites masquerading as news outlets, is actively engaging U.S. voter groups on opposing ends of the political spectrum by with “polarizing messaging on issues such as the U.S. presidential candidates, LGBTQ rights, and the Israel-Hamas conflict.”

Last week, Republican nominee Donald Trump said that one of his campaign websites was hacked by the Iranian government.