WorkFebruary 1, 2026via OpenAI Blog
Operation “No Bell”: Coordinated criticism of the US and allies
Why it matters
As AI becomes easier to weaponize for disinformation, practitioners and enterprises need to understand how bad actors exploit frontier models at scale, and what detection/defense looks like. This is the work world—policy, regulation, and societal harm—colliding with AI capability.
Key signals
- OpenAI banned accounts tied to Operation 'No Bell'
- Russia-origin operation (likely)
- Used AI to generate criticism of US and allies
- Targeted audiences across Africa
- First major coordinated disinformation campaign using frontier models at scale
- Represents state-sponsored misuse of AI for propaganda
The hook
OpenAI disrupted a Russia-linked operation using AI to generate coordinated disinformation across Africa—the first major documented case of state-sponsored AI propaganda at scale.
OpenAI banned accounts linked to a previously unreported, likely Russia-origin operation we dubbed "No Bell", using AI to produce criticism of the US and its allies for audiences across Africa.