More Chinese groups using ChatGPT for covert operations, OpenAI says
OpenAI is seeing an increasing number of Chinese groups using its artificial intelligence technology for covert operations, which the ChatGPT maker described in a report released Thursday.
While the scope and tactics employed by these groups have expanded, the operations detected were generally small in scale and targeted limited audiences, the San Francisco-based startup said.
Since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, there have been concerns about the potential consequences of generative AI technology, which can quickly and easily produce human-like text, imagery and audio.
Data centres are popping up everywhere, but a jobs boom is unlikely
Tech journalist Karen Hao takes aim at Sam Altman's OpenAI 'empire'
OpenAI regularly releases reports on malicious activity it detects on its platform, such as creating and debugging malware, or generating fake content for websites and social media platforms.
In one example, OpenAI banned ChatGPT accounts that generated social media posts on political and geopolitical topics relevant to China, including criticism of a Taiwan-centric video game, false accusations against a Pakistani activist and content related to the closure of USAID.
Some content also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, generating X posts such as 'Tariffs make imported goods outrageously expensive, yet the government splurges on overseas aid. Who's supposed to keep eating?'
In another example, China-linked threat actors used AI to support various phases of their cyber operations, including open-source research, script modification, troubleshooting system configurations and development of tools for password brute forcing and social media automation.
A third example that OpenAI found was a China-origin influence operation that generated polarized social media content supporting both sides of divisive topics within U.S. political discourse, including text and AI-generated profile images.
China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on OpenAI's findings.
OpenAI has cemented its position as one of the world's most valuable private companies after announcing a US$40-billion funding round valuing the company at US$300-billion.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
27 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Stablecoin Disruption: Time to Sell Your Visa Stock?
This week, stablecoin legislation was approved by the United States Senate. The bill -- called the GENIUS Act -- still needs to go through the other side of Congress and on to the President's desk, but it is one step closer to bringing stablecoins into the financial system. By regulating the new currencies pegged to the U.S. dollar, issuers of the coin will now need to keep ample reserves to pay back customers and also go through regular audits. Investors are betting that legislation will spur customer adoption, which is a threat to Visa (NYSE: V). If stablecoins are adopted wholesale by consumers, it could mean less payment volume through Visa's network. Less volume means less profit. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More » Does that mean it is time to sell your Visa stock? Not really. Here's why stablecoins are not a large threat to Visa's business model today. New avenues for merchant acceptance This legislation is inspiring companies to investigate making their own stablecoins. According to reports, both Walmart and Amazon -- the two largest retailers in the United States -- are exploring making stablecoins for shoppers. Retailers are incentivized to do this because of the high fees paid to the credit card networks every year, which range from 2% to 3% of every transaction. Visa only collects 0.1% or a little more of every dollar spent, while most goes to the banking partners that issue credit cards and give consumers cash-back rewards. By adopting stablecoins, merchants see an avenue to avoiding the credit card fees that are a huge expense on their operations. Wal-Mart and Amazon alone could save billions of dollars a year that are now going to the financial system. It only needs to see mass adoption of stablecoins for this to happen. Easier said than done, but there are a lot of profits on the line for trying. The big hurdle: replicating the card rewards and scale Defeating Visa and credit card fees is not going to be easy. If it were, the companies would simply stop accepting Visa altogether. But they cannot, because of Visa's immense scale in merchant acceptance and consumer usage that is difficult to replicate. Visa has operations in 200 countries and territories, accepted by 150 million merchants and growing. It also has 4.8 billion total debit and credit cards in circulation. Over $15 trillion in total payments volume is processed by Visa every year. For stablecoins to succeed, they will need to replicate not one but both sides of this network. Shoppers will not use stablecoins for everyday use unless they are accepted everywhere. Merchants will not care about accepting stablecoins if nobody uses them. Call me skeptical that they will reach Visa's scale anytime soon. This is a classic example of a network effect competitive advantage, which reinforces Visa's growing dominance in the industry. Plus, we shouldn't forget about the thing consumers love about credit cards: cash back and reward points. Credit cards are able to offer so many perks to customers because of the 2% to 3% fees charged to merchants. Without them, it is a much worse customer value proposition, another hurdle for stablecoin adoption. V PE Ratio data by YCharts Should you sell your Visa stock? No, you should not sell your Visa stock just because iy is dipping on stablecoin news. It is clear that this company has a strong competitive advantage and massive scale that stablecoin issuers are nowhere close to matching. The legislation has not even been approved yet, so there is no reason to panic. That does not mean the stock is necessarily a buy at these prices. Its earnings per share (EPS) grew 10% year over year last quarter, which is right around Visa's long-term growth. As such a large business already, it is not going to produce hypergrowth in the form of earnings, but steady durable growth over time. Today, the stock trades at a premium price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 34 even after this stock dip, making the stock expensive. Don't rush out and sell your Visa stock. But don't think the stock is a home run buy just because it slipped 10%, either. Should you invest $1,000 in Visa right now? Before you buy stock in Visa, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Visa wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $664,089!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $881,731!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is994% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to172%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Brett Schafer has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Visa, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
America's economy faces a potential war shock: Surging oil prices
The American economy faces the unwelcome prospect of reignited inflation after the United States launched strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran. High oil and gas prices are a near certainty, experts say. The big question now: How long will the fossil fuels price spike last? Oil prices are expected to rise by about $5 per barrel when markets open on Sunday, according to experts. 'We are looking at $80 oil on the open,' said Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates. U.S. oil hasn't closed above $80 a barrel since January and has largely hovered between $60 and $75 a barrel since August 2024. Relatively tame oil prices have lowered gas prices to below $3 a gallon in many parts of the country, a major source of price relief for inflation-weary consumers. It's unclear if any major spike in oil prices will be sustained for a long period. Oil prices have risen about 10% since Israel's surprise attack on June 13 and then fell on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a two-week deadline on whether to strike Iran. 'One shouldn't necessarily assume that just because the price of oil goes up, it's going to stay there. It doesn't,' said Joe Brusuelas, chief economist for the accounting firm RSM. The direction oil prices take is likely to depend on whether Iran's parliament decides to block the Strait of Hormuz, a key trade route that accounts for about 20% of the world's crude oil. On Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country has 'a variety of options' when deciding how to respond to the U.S. attacks and a prominent adviser to Iran's supreme leader has already called for the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Bob McNally, president of consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group and former energy adviser to President George W. Bush, said that should Iran cut off the world's oil supply by closing the strait it would risk more military force from the United States and its allies. Iran could also attack infrastructure in the Persian Gulf that treats and exports oil and gas. 'It's possible they will decide the only thing that can dissuade President Trump is the fear of an oil price spike,' he said. 'They have to actually create that fear.' Appearing Sunday on Fox News, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on China to prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, adding that closing it would do more damage to other economies than the U.S. economy. China buys a third of all oil that comes from the Persian Gulf, while the United States buys less than 3%. 'I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,' Rubio said. Rubio added that closing the strait would hurt other countries' economies more than the U.S. economy. Meanwhile, American consumers may soon feel a price shock at the pump. 'It takes five days or so for stations to pass along the prices they see in one day. If oil markets do surge today and then tomorrow, it could start showing up at the pump in a matter of hours,' said Patrick De Haan, vice president of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, a fuel tracking platform. According to Lipow, should the Strait of Hormuz be affected, the price of oil could rise to $100 a barrel, which would raise gas and diesel prices by about 75 cents per gallon from recent levels. Meanwhile, U.S. trade policies combined with the war with Iran 'strongly suggest inflation will be moving faster and higher over the next 90 days,' according to Brusuelas. Many mainstream economists argue that the low inflation of the spring represents a calm before the summer storm, when they expect prices to rise because of Trump's tariffs.
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
CTV QP: U.S. airstrike on Iranian nuclear sites a tactic to ‘buy time': Lawson
Former Chief of the Defence Staff (Ret'd) Gen. Tom Lawson says he is 'not surprised' that President Trump's plan to attack Iranian nuclear sites.
