OpenAI released a report on Thursday (June 5th) pointing out that more and more CCP-affiliated groups are using ChatGPT for covert operations. While these actions may be limited in scale and highly targeted, the methods and scope are expanding.
Since the launch of ChatGPT at the end of 2022, the San Francisco-based company stated that there is an increasing concern about the misuse of generative AI externally. Particularly worrisome is that generative AI can create text, images, and voice content like a human, as well as provide convenient tools for network manipulation and the spread of misinformation, often faster and more efficiently than humans.
OpenAI stated that the company continues to monitor and regularly disclose malicious usage behaviors detected on the platform, including the use of ChatGPT for developing or testing malicious software, as well as generating false information for websites and social media.
One case revealed that there were accounts specifically creating content on political and geopolitical issues related to China, including criticizing video games with Taiwan as the theme, fabricating accusations against Pakistani human rights activists, and spreading false claims about the closure of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). OpenAI has blocked these accounts.
Some content also criticized U.S. President Trump’s tariff policies, with posts on X stating, “Tariffs make imported goods unreasonably expensive, while the government is spending lavishly abroad. How should we, the common people, live?”
Another case showed that malicious accounts related to the CCP are utilizing AI technology to support their online activities, such as conducting open-source intelligence gathering, modifying scripts, debugging system configurations, and developing password cracking tools and social media automation scripts.
OpenAI also discovered that CCP-led cognitive warfare is using AI-generated highly polarized community content and fake accounts to incite opposition on sensitive internal issues in the United States with the aim of deepening societal rifts.
OpenAI has now become one of the most valuable private enterprises globally. In a recent round of financing, the company was valued at $300 billion and announced that it is undergoing a new fundraising round with a target of $40 billion.