Artificial intelligence giant OpenAI released a new threat intelligence report on June 10, stating that it has banned a group of accounts suspected of being linked to communist China.
These accounts were found to be using ChatGPT to generate large volumes of social media posts, comments, articles, and political cartoons aimed at influencing U.S. public debate on artificial intelligence, data center expansion, and tariff policy, OpenAI said in their 14-page June report titled “PRC-linked influence operations are targeting AI debates in the US.”
OpenAI stated that these activities mainly took place between late 2025 and early 2026. Although the overall scale was limited and they did not gain widespread traction on social media, they indicate that foreign influence operations are beginning to use generative AI technology to intervene in U.S. domestic political and economic debates.
According to OpenAI, one of these operations was named the “Data Center Bandwagon” campaign. Participants used Chinese prompts to instruct ChatGPT to generate content in English, Chinese, and other languages, focusing on promoting narratives that U.S. data center construction would drive up electricity prices, increase energy burdens, and harm ordinary households. The related content was later posted on social media platforms such as X, YouTube, and online forums.
The report noted that these accounts attempted to disguise themselves as ordinary American citizens, participating in discussions about AI infrastructure projects under the identity of U.S. residents. They sought to generate controversy around issues such as potential electricity demand pressures, environmental impacts, and public resource consumption associated with data center projects.
‘Tech and tariffs campaign’
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Another operation identified by OpenAI was named “Tech and Tariffs.” Accounts involved in this campaign used ChatGPT to generate political cartoons, social media posts, and multilingual comments criticizing U.S. government tariffs on Chinese goods, while attempting to intensify domestic dissatisfaction in the United States over trade policy.
Reuters reported that some of the content included satirical cartoons and commentary targeting U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, in an effort to influence public opinion in the United States regarding trade policy and competition in the technology sector. OpenAI investigators believe that some of these activities may be linked to a Chinese technology company that provides services to local government clients in China.
OpenAI chief investigator Ben Nimmo stated that these operations did not create new social divisions, but rather sought to exploit existing discussions within U.S. society and further amplify and intensify them. He said the goal of these efforts was to “leverage and amplify existing public concerns.”
The report shows that the accounts involved not only generated English-language content, but also produced content in multiple languages including Chinese, Japanese, and Italian, in an attempt to broaden their reach. OpenAI said the overall engagement with this content was low and its influence was limited, but it demonstrates that generative AI is increasingly being used in information warfare and influence operations.
Recently, some members of the U.S. Congress have even called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate whether foreign actors are using such controversies to try to hinder the development of the U.S. artificial intelligence industry. Some lawmakers believe that the Chinese Communist Party and other competitors may be attempting to weaken the United States’ leading position in the AI sector through online propaganda campaigns.
OpenAI stated that the company will continue to monitor the use of AI tools for influence operations, disinformation, and information manipulation, and will take measures such as banning accounts to address them.
With the rapid spread of artificial intelligence technology, future information warfare, cognitive warfare, and online influence operations may increasingly rely on AI tools to generate content, expand dissemination, and shape public opinion. The cases disclosed by OpenAI are seen as one of the latest examples of generative AI being used in international information competition.
