OpenAI disrupts covert influence operationstargeting India’s ongoing Lok Sabha Elections

 

 

 

OPENAI, the organisation behind ChatGPT has disrupted the covert influence campaigns that were generating content about the Gaza conflict, as well as the Indian elections. The OpenAI stated that in the past three months, it has disrupted covert influence operations that attempted to employ artificial intelligence (AI) models to promote the actions of dishonest and abusiveindividualsontheInternet. Among these were efforts connected to operators in China, Iran, Russia (two networks),andacommercialcompany in Israel. TheIsraelicommercialcompany, with content in Hebrew and English languages, first catered to audiences in Canada, the US, and Israel.

 

However, in early May, the organisation turned its attentiontoIndia, p r oducing English-language online articles and social media posts that were critical of the ruling BJP party, OpenAI highlighted in their report“AIandCovertInfluence Operations: Latest Trends.” “Thisoperationwasdivided into a number of topical campaigns, most of which were loosely associated with the Gaza conflict and the broader question of relations between individuals of Jewish and Muslim faith. In May, we disrupted some activity focused on the Indian elections less than 24 hours after it began,” the report stated. “Finally, in May, thenetwork began generating comments that focused on India, criticised the ruling BJP party and praised the opposition Congressparty.Sometimes,the network appears to have flipped its accounts from one topic to another- for example, accounts thathadearlierposted about Canada switched focus to the USA, India or the Histadrut(ormore thanoneof these),” it added.

 

The report further underlinedthatsome ofthecontentposted on social media was inreplytoprominent western figures. “Some of the content created by this network was posted on social media in reply to prominent Western figures on bothsidesofthepolitical spectrum. These replies generally bore no relationto the original post. For example, one comment about Qatar “buying up” Americawaspostedinreply to a post about former President Trump’smusicalpreferences,”the report read. The Lok Sabha elections arebeing held in India acrossseven phases. The countingof votes will happen onJune 4.