OpenAI has disabled a group of malicious ChatGPT accounts linked to a well-known cybercrime group after discovering they were attempting to spread content intended to influence voters.
The content posted addressed a variety of topics, including the US election, Israel's presence at the Olympics, and the conflict in Gaza. In its report, OpenAI said the content failed to generate significant engagement, with most posts receiving very few or no likes.
Content generated by ChatGPT was also found to include lengthy articles impersonating both progressive and conservative news sites, using usernames such as 'Westland Sun, EvenPolitics, and Nio Thinker.'
Electoral threats
“OpenAI is committed to preventing abuse and improving transparency around AI-generated content,” OpenAI noted. “This includes our work to detect and stop covert influence operations, which attempt to manipulate public opinion or influence political outcomes while obscuring the true identity or intentions of the actors behind them. This is especially important in the context of the numerous elections coming up in 2024. We have expanded our work in this area throughout the year, including by leveraging our own AI models to better detect and understand abuse.”
The group behind the campaign, Storm-2035, was recently identified by Microsoft as a threat activity group in a recent report that investigated Iranian online influence in the US elections.
Microsoft had described the campaign as “an initiative that actively engages groups of American voters from opposite ends of the political spectrum with polarizing messages on issues such as the U.S. presidential candidates, LGBTQ rights, and the conflict between Israel and Hamas.”
Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) provided Earlier this year, Iran, along with Russia and China, reportedly stepped up their cyber influence campaigns as the US election approached.
As we approach the 2024 US presidential election, a upturn There have already been reports of malicious cyber activity by foreign threat actors. Various tactics have been employed, including disinformation campaigns, phishing attacks and hacking operations.
The goals of these attacks seem clear: to disrupt the political process. By undermining public trust in information sources, public figures, and political structures, foreign threat actors attack the very fabric of the American political system. By spreading distrust, chaos, and fear in the hearts of voters, they contribute to deepening the widespread division that already plagues the American public.
The rise of artificial intelligence has allowed misinformation to develop and spread more easily, and highly personalized content to be generated more than ever before. Our advice is: Stay critical and examine the source whenever possible.
