“This week, we identified and removed a group of ChatGPT accounts that were generating content for a covert Iranian influence operation identified as Storm-2035. We have banned these accounts from using our services and continue to monitor for any further attempts to violate our policies,” OpenAI said.
How Iranian Hackers Used ChatGPT to Target US Presidential Elections
OpenAI claims that the Iranian hacking group used ChatGPT to generate both long-form posts and short-form social media commentaries on a range of topics, including the US presidential election, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and social issues.
She noted that these fabricated stories were then spread across multiple platforms, including social media and fake news sites.
“We identified about a dozen accounts on X and one on Instagram involved in this operation. Some of the X accounts posed as progressives, others as conservatives. They generated some of these comments by asking our models to rewrite comments posted by other social media users,” OpenAI explained.
The company says its analysis found minimal engagement with the content generated, suggesting limited impact on public opinion.
Warnings from Microsoft, Google and Meta
Recently, Microsoft and Google Similar campaigns have been discovered and reports published on how Iranian hackers interfere with US Presidential ElectionsBoth tech giants have revealed phishing campaigns and hacking attempts against several influential people.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s team also confirmed that his political campaign was attacked by hackers.
Meanwhile, Facebook’s parent company Meta said Russian hackers were using generative AI to carry out online deception campaigns, but that the company had thwarted their attempts.
