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OpenAI said<\/a> on Friday that it thwarted an Iranian influence campaign that used ChatGPT<\/a> to generate fake news stories and social posts aimed at Americans. The company said it identified and banned accounts generating content for five websites (in English and Spanish) pretending to be news outlets, spreading \u201cpolarizing messages\u201d on issues like the US presidential campaign, LGBTQ+ rights and the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n The operation was identified as \u201cStorm-2035,\u201d part of a series of influence campaigns Microsoft identified<\/a> last week as \u201cconnected with the Iranian government.\u201d In addition to the news posts, it included \u201ca dozen accounts on X and one on Instagram\u201d connected to the operation. OpenAI said the op didn\u2019t appear to have gained any meaningful traction. \u201cThe majority of social media posts that we identified received few or no likes, shares, or comments,\u201d the company wrote.<\/p>\n In addition, OpenAI said that on the Brookings Institution\u2019s Breakout Scale<\/a>, which rates threats, the operation only charted a Category 2 rating (on a scale of one to six). That means it showed \u201cactivity on multiple platforms, but no evidence that real people picked up or widely shared their content.\u201d<\/p>\n OpenAI described the operation as creating content for faux conservative and progressive news outlets, targeting opposing viewpoints. Bloomberg<\/em> said<\/a> the content suggested Donald Trump was \u201cbeing censored on social media and was prepared to declare himself king of the US.\u201d Another framed Kamala Harris\u2019 choice of Tim Walz as her running mate as a \u201ccalculated choice for unity.\u201d<\/p>\n OpenAI added that the operation also created content about Israel\u2019s presence at the Olympics and (to a lesser degree) Venezuelan politics, the rights of Latin American communities and Scottish Independence. In addition, the campaign peppered the heavy stuff with comments about fashion and beauty, \u201cpossibly to appear more authentic or in an attempt to build a following.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe operation tried to play both sides but it didn\u2019t look like it got engagement from either,\u201d OpenAI Intelligence and Investigations investigator Ben Nimmo told Bloomberg<\/em>.<\/p>\n The busted dud of an influence op follows the disclosure earlier this week that Iranian hackers have targeted both Harris\u2019 and Trump\u2019s campaigns<\/a>. The FBI said informal Trump adviser Roger Stone fell victim to phishing emails. The Iranian hackers then took control of his account and sent messages with phishing links to others. The FBI found no evidence that anyone in the Harris campaign fell for the scheme.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n