OpenAI uncovers Russian and Iranian influence ops that planted fake stories in real news outlets
Source: The Decoder (opens in a new tab) · Manuel Uth
Intel Summary
OpenAI disclosed and banned accounts tied to state-linked influence campaigns originating in Russia and Iran. The Russian operation, dubbed "Dark Clark," spread disinformation across Latin America that prompted political reactions, receiving a category 5 out of 6 rating in OpenAI's threat severity tracking. The Iranian "Bogus Bylines" operation used seven fabricated journalist personas to publish roughly 100 articles across international online media outlets.
Why It Matters
The disclosures illustrate how foreign threat actors utilize generative AI models to construct believable journalistic personas and distribute disinformation directly into legitimate digital news publications. This underscores increasing security and verification challenges for digital media outlets, platform defenders, and intelligence teams monitoring AI-enabled influence campaigns.
Organizations & Entities
- Latin America
- OpenAI
- Russia
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