OpenAI identifies and disrupts sophisticated russian covert influence campaign

OpenAI has identified and disrupted a sophisticated covert influence campaign linked to Russia, which involved the use of ChatGPT to generate social media content promoting a website called the International Burke Institute (IBI). The operation, which appeared to have a limited audience, was characterized by its elaborate infrastructure, including a website that claimed to host academic research and a 'sovereignty index' that praised Russia and criticized Western countries. The IBI website, registered in February 2025, presented itself as an 'expert community' based in Israel and claimed to feature prominent academics such as Francis Fukuyama and Noam Chomsky. However, a review of 36 articles published on the site between September 2025 and May 2026 revealed that 34 were copied from elsewhere on the internet, often with incorrect author attributions. The campaign also included the creation of Telegram channels and social media accounts that promoted the IBI's content and spread narratives critical of Ukraine, the EU, and the German government. OpenAI banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts originating in Russia that were used to generate social media posts and comments in English, while hiding linguistic clues of their Russian origin. The operators used VPNs to access the platform, as access from Russia is restricted. The operation's impact was assessed as being at the lower end of Category Three on the Brookings Breakout Scale, with some Telegram channels attracting 10-20,000 followers. The significance of the operation lies in its infrastructure, which included a credible-looking institution with purported experts and republished academic work, demonstrating how AI can be used to support broader efforts to manufacture authority and obscure the source of narratives.