OpenAI has taken action to remove accounts of users from China and North Korea who were believed to be using its technology for malicious purposes such as surveillance and opinion-influence operations, the maker of ChatGPT stated on Friday.
The activities detected are potential ways for authoritarian regimes to exploit AI against the U.S. and their own citizens, according to OpenAI’s report, which utilized AI tools to uncover these operations.
The company did not specify the number of accounts banned or the timeframe in which the removals took place.
One case involved users using ChatGPT to generate Spanish news articles that criticized the United States, which were then published by mainstream media outlets in Latin America under a Chinese company’s name.
In another instance, individuals possibly linked to North Korea utilized AI to create fake resumes and online profiles for nonexistent job applicants in an attempt to deceive Western companies into hiring them.
Additionally, a group of ChatGPT accounts associated with a financial fraud scheme in Cambodia utilized OpenAI’s technology to translate and generate comments on various social media and messaging platforms, including X and Facebook.
The U.S. government has voiced concerns regarding China’s alleged misuse of AI to suppress its population, spread disinformation, and compromise the security of the U.S. and its allies.
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is the leading AI chatbot with over 400 million weekly active users. The company is currently in discussions to secure funding of up to $40 billion at a valuation of $300 billion, potentially setting a new record for the largest single funding round for a private firm.
By Anna Tong
