OpenAI Shuts Down Russian-Linked Influence Campaign Using ChatGPT

By Priya Anand

OpenAI has banned a series of ChatGPT accounts originating from Russia that were used to promote a fabricated Israeli think tank, the International Burke Institute (IBI), as part of a covert influence campaign. The accounts accessed the platform via VPNs to evade Russia's direct access restrictions, generating content that concealed Russian linguistic markers.

The IBI, which claimed to be an expert community, was found to have published a 'sovereignty index' favoring Russia and criticizing Western nations. Analysis revealed that 34 out of 36 articles on the IBI's website were copied from other sources, often misattributed to well-known academics, some of whom were unaware of their supposed contributions.

Social media posts promoting the IBI had limited engagement, but some Telegram channels linked to the campaign attracted between 10,000 and 20,000 followers. OpenAI's assessment categorized the campaign as having a detectable reach across multiple platforms, albeit limited.

Fortune reported that the IBI's domain was registered in February 2025, but no content was published until October of that year. The operation highlights the potential for AI tools like ChatGPT to be misused in manufacturing misleading credibility for influence campaigns.