That is 0 articles you have read today.
The Aporia is free and carries no advertising, so readers are the only
thing paying for it. If you are getting this much out of it, a small
donation is what keeps it independent.
Daily limit reached
You have read 0 articles today.
That is more than the 15 a day The Aporia gives away,
and well past what it can carry on nothing. Your allowance resets at
midnight.
There is no advertising here and nothing about you is sold, so readers
are the only thing paying for it. If the site is worth this much of
your day, it is worth a few dollars.
Everything else stays open: the
maps, the
directory and
search do
not count against this, and neither does re-opening something you have
already read today.
OpenAI announced on October 8 that it had shut down two influence operations, one from Russia and another from Iran, both using ChatGPT to spread disinformation. The Iranian operation involved seven fake journalist personas that published around 100 articles in various international media outlets between July 2025 and October 2026. Meanwhile, the Russian operation exploited unwitting individuals in Latin America to run a think-tank aimed at undermining Ukraine’s reputation and influencing local politics.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On October 8, OpenAI announced it had shut down two influence operations from Russia and Iran that exploited ChatGPT to spread disinformation. The Iranian operation used seven fake journalist profiles, purportedly from Western countries including the United States, to publish around 100 articles across about a dozen online media outlets focusing on international affairs and geopolitics. These outlets were typically small to medium-sized and covered issues related to the Middle East and global conflicts. OpenAI also identified Russian accounts supporting “false front” entities for propaganda purposes. This incident highlights how state actors can leverage AI tools like ChatGPT to spread sophisticated disinformation against their adversaries on a large scale.
Written for “Disinformation Operations Revealed” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 67244 · logged 2026-10-09
OpenAI says Iran, Russia influence ops busted
AI generated
WASHINGTON –
asserted
ops → say → ?
OpenAI on Oct 8 said it shut down two influence operations – from Russia and Iran – that used ChatGPT to push fake journalist personas and run a “think-tank” to covertly peddle anti-Ukraine propaganda.
asserted
that → say → propaganda
OpenAI’s report is the latest illustration of how state actors can easily exploit widely available AI tools to peddle sophisticated propaganda against adversaries on a mass scale.
asserted
actors → exploit → scale
The American AI giant said it banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts that originated in Russia and Iran and were used to support “false front” entities for geopolitical and conflict-related messaging.
asserted
that → say → messaging
The Iranian operation involved seven “journalist” profiles, each purporting to be from Western countries including the United States, that were used to plant long-form articles in media outlets around the world.
asserted
that → involve → world
“We identified almost 100 articles published or syndicated under the operation’s bylines across roughly a dozen online outlets around the world,” OpenAI said.
asserted
OpenAI → identify → world
“These were small to medium outlets, generally focused on international affairs, geopolitics, and events in the Middle East.”
asserted
These → focus → East
The earliest article identified by OpenAI was published in July 2025, and the latest in October 2026, with the frequency of reports increasing after the US-Iran war broke out earlier in 2026.
asserted
war → identify → 2026
The operation also generated social media comments on topics related to the US-Iran war, it added.
asserted
it → generate → war
One of the personas named Ervin B. Hoskins, whose bio claimed to be “an American freelance writer”, had social media accounts across tech platforms including Elon Musk’s X and Meta-owned Instagram.
asserted
bio → name → X
X’s transparency information showed the account was connected via a “West Asia android app” and Instagram’s transparency information showed the account was based in Iran, according to screenshots provided by OpenAI.
uncertain
account → show → OpenAI
Both accounts appeared to be suspended.
asserted
accounts → appear → ?
The Russian operation co-opted “unwitting people” in Latin America to run
asserted
operation → co → America
, the company said.
asserted
company → say → ?
“The available evidence indicates that the SRC’s employees in Latin America were not aware that they were working for a Russian group,” OpenAI said.
asserted
OpenAI → indicate → group
“The SRC appears to have produced a majority of original content via its co-opted staff.
asserted
SRC → appear → staff
This stands out as the most complex attempt to run a front identity that we’ve disrupted over the past two and a half years.”
asserted
we → stand → years
The Aporia
