Reuters, WASHINGTON
Chinese propagandists have been trying to use OpenAI’s flagship chat to increase opposition to US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, and intervene in debates over data centers and artificial intelligence (AI) in the US, the ChatGPT maker said in a report published on Wednesday.The company said its efforts, dating to late last year and early this year, appeared to have had little to no effect, but it is another indication of how central generative AI is becoming in digital influence campaigns — even ones aimed against AI companies themselves.The Chinese embassy in Washington said that while it was not familiar with OpenAI’s research, “we firmly oppose any groundless attacks or smears against China,” and that Beijing is working to “ensure AI is a force for good and for all.”
An OpenAI logo, a keyboard and a robotic hand are pictured in an illustration taken on June 5.
OpenAI said that one group of Chinese-speaking users were using ChatGPT to come up with slogans and cartoons critiquing Trump’s trade and tech policies that were later posted to X.The cartoons featured Trump behaving disruptively on the global stage, for example by swinging a hammer at a wall labeled “Global Future” or sawing apart a ladder he was standing on.
