Disinformation From State-Backed Actors

June 4, 2024

Companies like OpenAI are under scrutiny due to concerns that their AI-powered apps can generate deceptive content quickly and in large volumes. This is particularly concerning ahead of major elections, as countries like Russia, China, and Iran have been known to use covert social media campaigns to influence public opinion. OpenAI has disrupted several operations that used its models to generate fake content, including a Russian campaign targeting Ukraine and the US, a Chinese operation called Spamouflage, an Iranian group called the International Union of Virtual Media, and a commercial Israeli company called STOIC. These operations posted content across various platforms, but none managed to engage a substantial audience. OpenAI attributes its ability to disrupt these operations to collaboration, intelligence sharing, and safeguards built into its models.