OpenAI says Chinese propaganda is being deployed to foment dissent over tariffs, data centres
OpenAI reported that Chinese influence campaigns have attempted to use its AI models to sway American public opinion on tariffs and data center regulations. The company noted that these efforts appear to have had minimal impact, while the Chinese Embassy dismissed the allegations as groundless.
Why it matters
This underscores the growing concern regarding the use of generative AI as a tool for foreign interference and digital propaganda in domestic political debates.
Chinese propagandists have been trying to use OpenAI’s flagship chat to gin up opposition to Donald Trump’s tariffs and intervene in American debates over data centres and AI, OpenAI said in a report published on Wednesday. The company said its efforts, dating to late 2025 and early 2026, appeared to have had little or 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 was working to “ensure AI is a force for good and for all.”
The report balances the claims made by the technology company with the official response from the Chinese government.
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