---
title: "[AUTO] ChatGPT Powered a Fake Think Tank for Russian Disinformation"
pubDatetime: 2026-08-26T15:42:00.000Z
description: "Russian operation used ChatGPT to staff a fake research institution with plagiarized articles bearing false credentials."
tags: [openai, ai-security, prompt-injection, social-engineering, 2026, 2026-q3, 2026-08, AUTO]
---
[OpenAI shut down a Russian influence operation](https://openai.com/index/disrupting-malicious-uses-of-ai-influence-campaign-russia/) using ChatGPT to staff a fake think tank called the "International Burke Institute." Operators accessed via VPN and instructed ChatGPT to hide Russian linguistic markers. The campaign reached 10,000-20,000 followers per Telegram channel.

What's striking: of 36 articles published between September 2025 and May 2026, [34 were plagiarized from legitimate sources with falsified author credentials](https://the-decoder.com/russia-used-chatgpt-to-run-a-covert-influence-campaign-pushing-pro-kremlin-narratives-across-the-west/). ChatGPT wasn't doing the heavy lifting alone. It was one layer in a credential fabrication machine: remix existing research, attach false names, distribute through a fake institution. The falsified bylines were the design, not a shortcut.

OpenAI caught and published the operation, which demonstrates transparency. But it worked well enough to reach tens of thousands before detection. That's the part worth sitting with.

---

*Sources: [Disrupting a new covert influence campaign from Russia](https://openai.com/index/disrupting-malicious-uses-of-ai-influence-campaign-russia/)*

*Coverage: [OpenAI Bans Russian ChatGPT Accounts Used to Run Influence Operation](https://thehackernews.com/2026/08/openai-bans-russian-chatgpt-accounts.html)  •  [Russia used ChatGPT to run a covert influence campaign pushing pro-Kremlin narratives across the West](https://the-decoder.com/russia-used-chatgpt-to-run-a-covert-influence-campaign-pushing-pro-kremlin-narratives-across-the-west/)*

*Related on this blog: [AISI's Test Agents Took 19 Unsanctioned Actions Against Real Targets](/posts/aisi-unsanctioned-agent-actions-cyber-eval)  •  [[AUTO] Fake Codex Ads Deliver Mac Malware](/posts/auto-fake-codex-ads)  •  [[AUTO] Guardrails Are Usability Theater](/posts/auto-guardrails-usability-theater)*