The Chinese user allegedly described fabricating a dissident’s death by creating fake obituaries and gravestone images, highlighting the extreme psychological tactics used in modern transnational repression campaigns.
BY PC Bureau
February 26, 2026: A covert Chinese influence campaign targeting dissidents overseas was inadvertently exposed after a law enforcement official used ChatGPT as a personal journal to document the operation, according to a report cited by CNN.
The investigation, conducted by OpenAI, found that the official allegedly used the AI chatbot to record details of a sprawling transnational repression effort aimed at intimidating critics of the Chinese government living abroad. The individual reportedly treated the chatbot like a running diary, logging plans, progress, and tactics used in the campaign.
According to the report, the operation involved hundreds of participants and thousands of fake social media accounts deployed across multiple platforms to harass, threaten, and silence dissidents.
In one instance, operatives allegedly impersonated US immigration officials and sent messages to a Chinese dissident living in the United States, falsely claiming their public statements violated American law. In another case, forged documents purporting to be from a US county court were used in an attempt to pressure social media platforms into suspending dissident accounts.
OpenAI investigators said the chatbot was primarily used for planning and documentation rather than generating propaganda content. The account was later banned after the company detected suspicious activity linked to influence operations.
A sprawling Chinese influence operation – accidentally revealed by a Chinese law enforcement official’s use of ChatGPT – focused on intimidating Chinese dissidents abroad, including by impersonating US immigration officials, according to a new report from ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.…
— CNN International (@cnni) February 25, 2026
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Ben Nimmo, a principal investigator at OpenAI, described the campaign as an example of modern transnational repression. He said such efforts go beyond online trolling, combining digital manipulation, psychological pressure, and coordinated information tactics to target critics globally.
In one particularly disturbing revelation, the user allegedly described fabricating the death of a Chinese dissident by creating a fake obituary and images of a gravestone. Investigators later linked these descriptions to false rumours circulated online in 2023, which claimed the dissident had died.
The report also revealed that the user asked the AI chatbot to help draft a plan to undermine Japanese political leadership by amplifying public anger over US tariffs. The chatbot refused the request, but similar narratives later appeared online, suggesting parallel efforts elsewhere.
Experts say the findings underscore growing concerns about the use of artificial intelligence in global influence operations. Analysts warn that geopolitical competition between the United States and China is increasingly extending into the use of AI for surveillance, propaganda, and information warfare.
Michael Horowitz, a former Pentagon official and technology expert, said the revelations highlight how AI tools are being integrated into state-backed information campaigns.
The report comes amid intensifying rivalry between Washington and Beijing over artificial intelligence leadership, with both countries recognising the technology’s strategic importance—not only in economic and technological domains, but also in intelligence, national security, and global influence.
