"Data Centers, Trump Tariff Criticism"... Evidence Emerges of China Using ChatGPT for Public Opinion Campaigns

OpenAI Detects Two Account Clusters Suspected to be Linked to China

"Targeting Data Centers and Tariffs to Fuel Social Division"

Self-Described "Shuijun" Group Used Simplified Chinese Prompts

There is evidence that a group suspected to be linked to China attempted to manipulate U.S. public opinion using ChatGPT.

OpenAI, the operator of ChatGPT. Image. Reuters Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News Agency, OpenAI announced in its "Threat Report" released on the 10th (local time) that it had identified and blocked two account clusters operated by these actors. The report states that the group was active from late last year to early this year, focusing on energy issues and trade topics such as tariffs surrounding U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) policy.

The first group, which OpenAI dubbed "Data Center Piggybacking," spread claims that AI data centers were driving up household electricity bills. They prompted ChatGPT to, for example, "draw a cartoon about electricity grid auction prices based on media reports" or "add a specific phrase to an image of the electricity market." The requested phrase reportedly conveyed that "The AI industry is booming, but ordinary people are bearing the cost."

An image conveying a negative perception of data centers was generated through ChatGPT and spread on social media. OpenAI

Although the access routes were disguised, their identity was revealed through the prompts. They used virtual private networks (VPNs) to make it appear as if they were connecting from outside China, but the commands (prompts) entered into ChatGPT were in simplified Chinese, which is used in mainland China. The report speculated that this group was a "private company serving local Chinese governments as clients."

Meanwhile, the second group, categorized as "Technology and Tariffs," ran a campaign criticizing U.S. tariff policy as an attempt to achieve technological hegemony. They mass-produced political satire cartoons based on the technological rivalry between the United States and China. Their content was created not only in English and Chinese but also in Italian and Japanese. It was noted that their prompts consistently included instructions such as "only U.S. President Donald Trump should appear in the cartoon, and Chinese President Xi Jinping should not be depicted."

The cartoons created in this way were distributed through various social networking services (SNS). In one cartoon, President Trump was depicted wearing star-spangled pants labeled "America First," striking a wall labeled "Future of the World" with a hammer marked "Tech Hegemony." There was also an illustration of him sawing off the ladder he was standing on.

A cartoon criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy. OpenAI

The report stated that these actors called themselves "Shuijun." This is a Chinese slang term referring to online accounts that carry out organized campaigns of criticism. However, most of their attempts to manipulate public opinion appear to have had little real impact. In response to these claims, the Chinese Embassy in the United States said, "We firmly oppose groundless attacks or slander targeting China," and added, "The Chinese government is working to ensure that AI becomes a force for good for everyone."

There were also voices of caution in the U.S. Congress. Representative John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, criticized, "The Chinese Communist Party is trying to exploit America's open political system to divide its people." The Republican Party also called on the Trump Administration to investigate who is behind the anti-data center sentiment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.