OpenAI shut down a Russian influence operation 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. 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
Coverage: OpenAI Bans Russian ChatGPT Accounts Used to Run Influence Operation • Russia used ChatGPT to run a covert influence campaign pushing pro-Kremlin narratives across the West
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