OpenAI Reveals Alleged Chinese Network Used ChatGPT To Influence US Debate On Trump Tariffs, AI Policy

Chinese propaganda operatives allegedly exploited OpenAI’s chatbot platform to amplify opposition to President Donald Trump‘s tariffs and influence U.S. discussions on data centers and artificial intelligence.

OpenAI’s report identified two main clusters of activity. The first, termed the “Data Center Bandwagon” campaign, created social media content suggesting that AI data center buildouts were causing electricity prices to rise for average families.

The second cluster, dubbed “Tech and Tariffs,” produced comments and images portraying U.S. tariffs as efforts to gain an edge in technological competition. The campaign was tied to a network of suspected inauthentic social media accounts that falsely claimed ChatGPT user data had been breached.

A separate group of users linked to a Chinese technology company with government ties allegedly sought to influence U.S. discussions on AI and data centers, as several states weigh potential restrictions on new data center development.

OpenAI also stated that it banned a group of Chinese-speaking users who leveraged ChatGPT to create slogans and cartoons critiquing Trump’s trade and tech policy. These were later posted to various platforms. The same group also generated Chinese, Italian, and Japanese content for use in the comment sections of respective language articles.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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