OpenAI has disrupted five covert influence operations that used AI models for deceptive activities, involving actors from Russia, China, Iran, and Israel targeting political issues. The company, now bolstering its security measures, found these campaigns did not significantly engage audiences and included both AI-generated and manually created content.
31 May 2024 – Sam Altman-led OpenAI announced on Thursday that it had successfully disrupted five covert influence operations aimed at using its artificial intelligence models for deceptive activities across the internet. The operations, conducted by threat actors from Russia, China, Iran, and Israel, involved generating short comments, longer articles in multiple languages, and creating fake names and bios for social media accounts over the past three months.
These campaigns targeted a range of critical issues, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, the Indian elections, and politics in Europe and the United States. OpenAI stated that these deceptive efforts were attempts to manipulate public opinion or influence political outcomes.
The report from the San Francisco-based AI firm raises further safety concerns about the potential misuse of generative AI technology, which can quickly produce human-like text, images, and audio. OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, revealed on Tuesday that it has established a Safety and Security Committee led by board members, including CEO Sam Altman, as the company begins training its next AI model.
Despite the sophisticated nature of these deceptive campaigns, OpenAI noted that they did not achieve increased audience engagement or reach due to the AI firm’s services. The operations included not only AI-generated content but also manually written texts and memes copied from various sources across the internet.
In a related development, Meta Platforms reported in its quarterly security update that it had identified “likely AI-generated” content used deceptively on its Facebook and Instagram platforms. This included comments praising Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza, published under posts from global news organizations and U.S. lawmakers.
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