Sam Altman’s OpenAI on Thursday (May 30) revealed that it had disrupted five covert influence operations that were using its AI models for “deceptive activity” across the internet.
What deceptive activity did OpenAI report?
These operations, spanning the last three months, had the threat actors using OpenAI’s AI models to generate short comments, longer articles in various languages, and creating fake names and bios for social media accounts.
The campaigns, as per Reuters, originated from Russia, China, Iran, and Israel. They focused on a range of topics such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the conflict in Gaza, the Indian elections, and politics in Europe and the United States, among others.
OpenAI said that the deceptive operations were an “attempt to manipulate public opinion or influence political outcomes”.
Misuse of AI technology
OpenAI’s disclosure has raised concerns about the potential misuse of generative AI technology, which can produce human-like text, imagery, and audio quickly and easily.
In response to the threat, Microsoft-backed OpenAI announced on Tuesday (May 28) the formation of a Safety and Security Committee, led by board members including CEO Sam Altman, to oversee the training of its next AI model.
Despite the deceptive operations, OpenAI reported that these campaigns did not achieve any increased audience engagement or reach through its services. The operations included a mix of AI-generated and manually written texts, as well as memes copied from the internet, said the San Francisco-based firm.
Additionally, Meta Platforms, in its recent security report released on Wednesday (May 29), identified “likely AI-generated” content used deceptively on Facebook and Instagram. This content included comments praising Israel’s handling of the Gaza conflict, posted under entries from global news organisations and US lawmakers.
(With inputs from agencies)