Slop factory bans Russians for using slop factory to create slop

OpenAI has banned Russian accounts from using its ChatGPT platform to create social media posts and comments that direct users to fake think tanks critical of the West. The company discovered the influence operation after investigating AI-generated social media posts, which led them to a broader operation orchestrated by Russian accounts.

Although the campaign reached a small audience, its construction was elaborate, distinguishing it from other Russia-linked influence operations OpenAI has disrupted. The Russian efforts used various platforms, including Substack, Telegram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, with most comments in English despite attempts to mask linguistic clues.

OpenAI identified the Russian operation through analyzing AI interactions and noting awkward translations and linguistic references specific to Slavic languages. The operation also directed users to a fictional Israeli think tank, the International Burke Institute (IBI), which published copied articles and exhibited a "sovereignty index" critical of Western countries.

While the immediate impact of the Russian AI campaign appears limited, OpenAI suggests that misuse of AI tools can help expose larger schemes involving misinformation.