WorkAugust 25, 2026via The Decoder
Russia used ChatGPT to run a covert influence campaign pushing pro-Kremlin narratives across the West
Why it matters
AI-as-infrastructure for geopolitical influence campaigns is becoming real. Practitioners need to understand how their tools are weaponized; policymakers and platforms face pressure to detect and disrupt these operations before they scale.
Key signals
- OpenAI disrupted Russian accounts accessing ChatGPT via VPN from Russia
- Campaign promoted fictitious 'International Burke Institute' with German-language Telegram content critical of EU and German government
- Reach remained small but OpenAI warned infrastructure could scale over time
- Uses ChatGPT for generating social media posts at scale
- Highlights state-sponsored disinformation and information warfare as emerging AI use case
- OpenAI banned cluster of accounts running covert Russian influence campaign
- Operators accessed ChatGPT via VPNs from Russia
- Campaign promoted fictitious 'International Burke Institute'
- German-language Telegram content critical of EU and German government
- Campaign reach was small but infrastructure was scalable
- OpenAI warns of potential for scaling over time
The hook
OpenAI shut down a Russian influence operation using ChatGPT to generate disinformation at scale—a preview of how AI tools amplify state-level information warfare.
OpenAI has disrupted a covert Russian influence campaign that used ChatGPT to generate social media posts by banning a cluster of accounts. The operators accessed the platform through VPNs from Russia and promoted the fictitious "International Burke Institute," including German-language Telegram con…