OpenAI bans Russian and Iranian influence ops that planted fake stories in real outlets

OpenAI exposed a Russian and an Iranian influence operation and banned the ChatGPT accounts involved, both of which planted content in legitimate media using fake identities.

The Iranian operation, "Bogus Bylines," used seven fake journalists to place nearly 100 articles about the US-Iran conflict, while the Russian "Dark Clark" operation triggered fact-checks and official denials in Ecuador and Peru.

Both operations used AI mainly for internal reporting and adapting propaganda to different languages.