OpenAI stated that Chinese propaganda is being used to incite opposition to data centers
Kyiv • UNN
Chinese bots used ChatGPT to attack Trump's tariffs and U.S. data centers. OpenAI stated that these influence attempts had minimal to zero effect.
Chinese propagandists are attempting to use OpenAI's flagship chatbot to incite opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and interfere in American debates regarding data centers and artificial intelligence, according to a report by OpenAI, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
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The company stated that these efforts, beginning in late 2024 and early 2025, had little to no effect, but they serve as further evidence of how central generative artificial intelligence is becoming in digital influence campaigns, even those directed against the AI companies themselves.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington stated that while it was not familiar with OpenAI's research, "we strongly oppose any groundless attacks or slander against China" and that Beijing is working to "ensure that artificial intelligence is a force for good and for all."
OpenAI stated it exposed one group of Chinese-speaking users who used ChatGPT to create slogans and caricatures criticizing Trump's trade and technology policies, which were later posted on X. The caricatures depicted Trump behaving destructively on the world stage, such as swinging a hammer at a wall labeled "Global Future" or sawing through a ladder he was standing on. The same group also used the platform to generate Chinese-language comments for use in the comment sections of Chinese-language articles, as well as content in Italian and Japanese, the publication writes.
OpenAI stated it tracked another group of users to a Chinese technology company that performed government work, though it did not disclose the firm's name. It noted that this group attempted to interfere in debates regarding artificial intelligence and data centers, a hot-button issue in America where more than a dozen states have or are considering restrictions on their construction.
Samples of the caricatures shared by OpenAI depicted the industry as greedy speculators whose electricity consumption harmed ordinary citizens.
Ben Nimmo, OpenAI's principal investigator, told reporters that the operations appeared aimed at manipulating "legitimate discussion about American AI and broader American technology policy. In these circumstances, it is particularly ironic that they tried to use American AI to do it."
While the influence operations appeared to go nowhere, the use of AI-assisted propaganda is another illustration of how ubiquitous AI-generated imagery has become, even in propaganda criticizing the industry, the publication points out. Last week, the technology publication 404 Media stated that digital content farms are using AI-generated images to create memes opposing data centers.