What's happened
OpenAI has banned accounts linked to an Iranian disinformation campaign, Storm-2035, which used ChatGPT to generate misleading content about the U.S. presidential election. The operation reportedly failed to achieve significant audience engagement, raising concerns about the effectiveness of AI in influencing public opinion.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to The Guardian, OpenAI's investigation revealed that the Iranian operation, Storm-2035, generated content on various topics, including the U.S. elections and the Israel-Hamas conflict, but did not achieve significant audience engagement. The New York Times noted that Ben Nimmo from OpenAI emphasized the lack of substantial engagement, stating, "The operation doesn’t appear to have benefited from meaningfully increased audience engagement because of the use of A.I." Axios highlighted the urgency of the situation, noting that nation-state adversaries are increasingly interested in disrupting elections, with AI tools potentially accelerating disinformation efforts. This multifaceted coverage underscores the complexities of AI's role in modern political discourse.
How we got here
The Iranian group Storm-2035 was identified as using OpenAI's ChatGPT to create content aimed at influencing the U.S. presidential election. This follows a Microsoft report detailing the group's activities, highlighting the growing concern over AI's role in disinformation campaigns.
Common question
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How is OpenAI Combatting Disinformation in Political Campaigns?
OpenAI has taken significant steps to disrupt disinformation campaigns, particularly those linked to political events. The recent case involving the Iranian group Storm-2035 highlights the challenges and implications of using AI in spreading misinformation. This raises important questions about the effectiveness of AI tools in shaping public opinion and the broader impact on political discourse.
More on these topics
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ChatGPT is a prototype artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI that focuses on usability and dialogue. The chatbot uses a large language model trained with reinforcement learning and is based on the GPT-3.5 architecture.
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OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research laboratory consisting of the for-profit corporation OpenAI LP and its parent company, the non-profit OpenAI Inc.
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Iran, also called Persia, and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and Azerbaijan, to the north by the Caspian Sea, to the northeast by Turkmenistan, to the east by Afghanistan a
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The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada and Mexico.