OpenAI announced it has banned a Chinese-based ChatGPT account that was attempting to manipulate discussions about US tariffs and AI data centers.

Two ChatGPT accounts, believed to belong to Chinese users, have been found to have secretly exerted influence and spread specific narratives using OpenAI's AI models with the aim of manipulating legitimate discussions about U.S. AI and broader technology policy. OpenAI has

https://openai.com/index/prc-linked-influence-operations-ai-debates/

OpenAI says Chinese propaganda is being deployed to foment dissent over tariffs, data centers | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/openai-says-chinese-propaganda-is-being-deployed-foment-dissent-over-tariffs-2026-06-10/

OpenAI says China tried to influence US attitudes on AI data centers - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/10/openai-china-ai-data-centers-report-00957612

China-linked groups used ChatGPT to target US tariff, AI data center debates
https://www.axios.com/2026/06/10/openai-china-ai-data-center-tariffs-chatgpt

The initial cluster generated social media comments and images claiming that 'the construction of AI data centers is driving up electricity bills for ordinary households.' OpenAI has dubbed this cluster the 'data center bandwagon campaign.'

Another cluster generated comments and images criticizing American tariffs as an attempt to dominate the technological competition, while instructing that the content should only include President Donald Trump and not Chinese President Xi Jinping. This cluster has been found to be connected to a network of fake social media accounts that appear to have targeted OpenAI by claiming that ChatGPT user data had been compromised. However, the claims of this cluster were found to be completely false. OpenAI has dubbed this cluster the 'Technology and Tariffs Campaign.'

The reason why the espionage activities targeting OpenAI and the construction of American data centers are significant is not because they appear to be manipulating public opinion, but because they demonstrate that Chinese agents are testing various narratives against AI infrastructure (the foundation of American technological leadership, economic growth, and a broader democratic AI ecosystem).

These operations aimed to exploit and amplify existing public concerns about energy prices and the impact of data center development on local communities. However, OpenAI points out that 'no meaningful developments beyond the operations themselves were observed.'

OpenAI states, 'For many years, foreign operations have exploited existing local issues and genuine beliefs, using them to build trust, amplify divisions, and worsen distrust among the American public. These agents, concealing their identities and motives, have attempted to secretly intervene in the ongoing debate about the future of AI capabilities in America.'

By publishing these findings, OpenAI says it aims to help industry, governments, civil society, and the general public better identify and block attempts by foreign threat actors to manipulate legitimate public discourse, undermine democratic institutions, and promote totalitarianism by leveraging the capabilities of AI (surveillance, censorship, and the use of AI in political, social, and private life).