OpenAI Bans Russian ChatGPT Accounts in New Influence Campaign, Reaching 10,000-20,000 Telegram Followers
Updated
Updated · OpenAI · Aug 25
OpenAI Bans Russian ChatGPT Accounts in New Influence Campaign, Reaching 10,000-20,000 Telegram Followers
3 articles · Updated · OpenAI · Aug 25
Summary
OpenAI said it removed a cluster of Russia-linked ChatGPT accounts that generated English and German posts promoting the International Burke Institute, a purported Israel-based think tank, across X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Substack and Telegram.
The accounts used VPNs to bypass OpenAI’s Russia access ban and prompted in Russian while asking ChatGPT to hide linguistic signs of Russian origin, according to the company’s investigation.
At the center was the IBI website, registered in February 2025; in a sample of 36 articles published between September 2025 and May 2026, OpenAI said 34 were copied or misattributed academic works.
The operation also pushed a “sovereignty index” that praised Russia and attacked Western countries, while one operator generated content for the German-language Telegram channel Lahme Ente and another designed logos for about a dozen channels.
OpenAI said the campaign’s direct reach was limited—most posts drew few views, though Telegram channels had roughly 10,000-20,000 followers each—but called the operation notable for its elaborate infrastructure and use of AI to manufacture credibility.