Observed Signal · May 1, 2024 · Policy Update · Source: OpenAI Blog · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Negative
OpenAI: Banned Russian-linked 'Bad Grammar' Telegram comment network
OpenAI disclosed and banned a previously unreported network nicknamed “Bad Grammar” that used its models to generate short, often ungrammatical English and Russian comments which were posted to Telegram. The operation was linked to individuals from Russia and targeted audiences in Russia, Ukraine, the United States, Moldova, and the Baltic states, focusing on themes such as the war in Ukraine, regional politics, immigration, and economic hardship. Operators used the models to debug automation code, generate persona-driven English replies and thematic Russian comments, and posted via at least a dozen Telegram accounts. OpenAI assessed the campaign’s impact as low (Breakout Scale Category 1) due to minimal engagement and limited amplification outside the network.
A transparency report about malicious use of LLMs highlights risks of AI-driven influence operations on messaging platforms, but OpenAI’s assessment found low impact and limited amplification, so industry impact is notable but not large.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- OpenAI banned a previously unreported network called “Bad Grammar” that used its models to create comments posted on Telegram.
- The activity was linked to individuals from Russia and targeted audiences in Russia, Ukraine, the United States, Moldova, and the Baltic States with Russian and English content.
- The network primarily commented on a small number of Telegram channels, most-mentioned being @Slavyangrad, followed by @police_frequency and @SGTNewsNetwork.
- Operators used models to debug code for automating Telegram posting, generated persona-based English comments and thematic Russian comments, and posted via at least a dozen Telegram accounts.
- OpenAI assessed the campaign’s impact as Breakout Scale Category 1 (low impact) with very limited engagement or amplification.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mapped“We banned a previously unreported network of accounts that were using our models to create comments that were then posted on Telegram....”
“We banned a previously unreported network of accounts that were using our models to create comments that were then posted on Telegram....”
“(The latter poses as a conservative American veteran, but in November, Meta reported(opens in a new window) that it actually originated in ...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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