OpenAI bans Chinese state-linked accounts for targeting Japanese PM

OpenAI has moved to purge its platform of bad actors, banning a string of accounts linked to Chinese law enforcement, romance scammers, and sophisticated influence operations.

The tech giant's latest report reveals a disturbing misuse of ChatGPT, including a targeted smear campaign against Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi.

Beyond political interference, the parent company found that criminals were using the chatbot to pose as dating agencies, law firms, and even US officials to facilitate cybercrimes.

The report details how a small group of accounts, likely originating in China, used the AI to gather data on U.S. citizens and federal buildings while seeking advice on face-swapping software.

These actors also drafted deceptive emails to policy analysts, luring them into "paid consultations" that were actually traps. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, a cluster of accounts orchestrated a large-scale dating scam.

By generating seductive ads and promotional text, they allegedly defrauded hundreds of men every month by pressuring them into making substantial payments.

Other fraudsters took a different path, impersonating real attorneys and American law enforcement to prey on existing fraud victims.

OpenAI has reiterated that its technology should never be used for legal, medical, or financial advice, stressing that its outputs are not expert-reviewed.

This crackdown highlights the ongoing battle to prevent generative AI from becoming a weapon for digital deception.

As global scrutiny intensifies, the company remains under pressure to prove that its tools are not merely engines for misinformation and heartless scams.