OpenAI says it shut Iran, Russia ChatGPT influence ops

OpenAI said Thursday it had shut down ChatGPT accounts linked to influence operations that originated in Iran and Russia, accusing them of using false-front entities for geopolitical and conflict-related messaging.

The company said the Iranian operation used seven purported journalist profiles, presented as writers from Western countries including the United States, to place long-form articles in media outlets around the world. OpenAI said it identified almost 100 articles published or syndicated under the operation's bylines across roughly a dozen small or medium online outlets focused on international affairs, geopolitics and events in the Middle East.

OpenAI said the earliest article it identified was published in July 2025 and the latest in October 2026, with output increasing after the US-Iran war began earlier this year. It said the operation also generated social media comments about the war.

The company said the Russian operation used unwitting people in Latin America to run a think tank called the Social Research Center for covert activity aimed at undermining Ukraine's reputation in the region and influencing local politics.

OpenAI said available evidence indicated the Latin America employees did not know they were working for a Russian group. It described the operation as the most complex front-identity effort it had disrupted in two and a half years.