{
  "id": 12979911,
  "title": "OpenAI says Iran, Russia influence ops busted",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/openai-says-iran-russia-influence-ops-busted",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-08T23:30:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Al-Monitor",
    "slug": "al-monitor",
    "url": "https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/10/openai-says-iran-russia-influence-ops-busted"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "OpenAI has reported shutting down two influence operations, one from Russia and one from Iran, that used ChatGPT to spread propaganda. The Russian operation used ChatGPT to create fake journalist personas and run a think-tank to covertly peddle anti-Ukraine propaganda in Latin America and Europe. According to OpenAI, the Russian group, linked to Politologia, also known as La Compania, used ChatGPT to document their campaigns and exaggerate their impact.\n\nThe group, considered a successor to organizations associated with Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Internet Research Agency, attempted to deceive schools and provoke reactions from politicians. OpenAI blocked accounts from Russia and Iran, but the propagandists found ways to circumvent the restrictions by using VPNs and entering prompts in their native language. Some of the episodes described in the operators’ internal reports match incidents reported by the investigative journalism consortium Forbidden Stories.\n\nOpenAI's lead investigator for intelligence and investigations, Ben Nimmo, noted that the company's findings provided insight into the global reach of Russian operations aimed at smearing Ukraine. The company’s report highlights the ease with which state actors can exploit widely available AI tools to peddle sophisticated propaganda against adversaries on a mass scale.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Fast Company",
        "title": "OpenAI’s ChatGPT for Teens poses an ‘unacceptable risk’ to kids, says watchdog",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/openais-chatgpt-for-teens-poses-an-unacceptable-risk-to-kids-says",
        "published": "2026-10-08T14:45:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Voice of Ukraine",
        "title": "Russia leaned on ChatGPT to run global anti-Ukraine campaign, OpenAI says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/russia-leaned-on-chatgpt-to-run-global-anti-ukraine-campaign-openai",
        "published": "2026-10-08T18:28:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hill",
        "title": "OpenAI users in Russia, Iran used models to push political agenda online, in media",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/openai-users-in-russia-iran-used-models-to-push-political-agenda",
        "published": "2026-10-08T23:26:23.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "OpenAI says Iran, Russia influence ops busted",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/openai-says-iran-russia-influence-ops-busted-12986310",
        "published": "2026-10-08T23:42:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "OpenAI bans Russian, Iranian ChatGPT propaganda networks",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/openai-bans-russian-iranian-chatgpt-propaganda-networks",
        "published": "2026-10-08T23:42:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "OpenAI says Iran, Russia influence ops busted",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/openai-says-iran-russia-influence-ops-busted-12986525",
        "published": "2026-10-08T23:51:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "NPR",
        "title": "OpenAI caught Russians and Iranians using ChatGPT for influence campaigns",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/openai-caught-russians-and-iranians-using-chatgpt-for-influence",
        "published": "2026-10-09T00:25:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}