Subtitled News: "AI to Blame for Rising Electricity Bills"? The Truth Behind the Propaganda… Caught by ChatGPT Using Simplified Chinese

OpenAI has claimed that it has detected signs of an attempt to manipulate public opinion in the United States using ChatGPT by groups suspected of being linked to China.

In a recently published "Threat Report," OpenAI stated that it had identified and blocked two clusters of ChatGPT accounts suspected of having ties to China.

These groups were active from late last year through early this year, attempting to sow division by targeting sensitive issues such as energy concerns related to AI data centers and trade policies, including tariffs, in the U.S.

One group led a propaganda campaign claiming that AI data centers were driving up electricity bills for ordinary households.

Although they used VPNs to disguise their location as being outside of China, the prompts they entered into ChatGPT were in Simplified Chinese, which is used in mainland China.

The report analyzed that these groups are likely private Chinese companies that count local Chinese governments among their clients.

Another group conducted a campaign criticizing U.S. tariff policies as an attempt to seize technological hegemony.

They used ChatGPT to mass-produce political cartoons on the theme of U.S.-China tech competition, and it was found that they consistently included instructions such as, "The cartoon should only feature President Donald Trump and should not feature Chinese President Xi Jinping."

The cartoons generated in this manner were distributed through social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter).

The report added that these individuals referred to themselves as "Shuijun," which is Chinese slang for online accounts that engage in organized critical activities.

However, OpenAI assessed that most of these attempts at public opinion manipulation failed to exert any real influence.

In response, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. refuted the claims, stating, "We firmly oppose groundless attacks and smears against China," and added, "The Chinese government is committed to ensuring that AI serves as a force for good for everyone."

Reported by Kim Taewon | Video by Lee Da-in | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.