OpenAI's October 8 report says it recently banned two covert influence operations that used its models alongside more traditional methods. The company describes one operation originating in Russia and another in Iran, both using false-front entities to distribute geopolitical and conflict-related messaging. These are OpenAI's findings, not an independent attribution to a named government organization.
The Russia-origin operation, which OpenAI calls Dark Clark, used a think-tank front in Latin America, fake leaked documents and audio scripts. The company says available evidence suggests some on-the-ground staff did not know they were working for the operation. It also says the operators used AI heavily to draft internal reports.
The Iran-origin operation, called Bogus Bylines, used seven journalist personas to pitch long-form articles to online outlets. OpenAI identified almost 100 articles published or syndicated under the operation's bylines. That count refers to identified articles, not a measured number of readers persuaded by them.
OpenAI says the Iranian operation also generated batches of social media comments. The replies it could identify generally attracted low engagement, and some likes came from accounts linked to the operation itself. The company found no evidence that the comment-posting automation was carried out with the help of its models.
The report separates potential reach from claims of effectiveness. It says operators used questionable or deceitful internal reporting methods, including counting views on posts they replied to rather than views on the replies. Those self-reported impact figures should not be accepted as evidence that the campaigns changed public opinion.
Limits: the report is based on OpenAI's account investigation and open-source observations, which cannot capture every private channel or removed post. The company says it could not identify the particular actor behind the Iran-origin campaign. The findings show how AI can assist existing influence workflows, not that every article, journalist, think tank or political comment is AI-generated or part of an operation.