OpenAI Says It Banned Russian ChatGPT Accounts Used In A Covert Influence Campaign

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

August 25, 2026

OpenAI said it has banned a cluster of ChatGPT accounts originating in Russia after identifying their use in a covert online influence campaign designed to spread misinformation.

The company said it uncovered the activity while reviewing AI-generated social media posts, a probe that ultimately revealed what it described as a far broader operation. In a blog post published Tuesday, OpenAI said the campaign was built around a website featuring copied and misattributed academic work, a so-called sovereignty index that portrayed Russia favorably, and efforts to conceal the operators’ Russian origins.

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A Broader Playbook For Influence Operations

The case underscores how generative AI is increasingly being used as an enabling tool in information operations, not merely as a content generator. According to OpenAI, the operators prompted ChatGPT in Russian to produce social media comments and posts that were later distributed across Substack, Telegram, X, Facebook and LinkedIn. The same operators also instructed the model to obscure linguistic clues that could reveal their identity or geographic origin.

OpenAI said the campaign centered on an organization called the International Burke Institute, or IBI. The institute’s website, the company said, featured articles copied from real academic sources, sometimes with false attribution. It also included a “sovereignty index” that praised Russia and criticized Western countries.

Why The Infrastructure Mattered More Than The Reach

While OpenAI said the immediate reach of the operation appeared limited, it stressed that the real significance lay in the infrastructure the operators had assembled. The campaign presented an apparently credible institution, complete with named experts, republished research and a proprietary risk index—elements that can be used to manufacture legitimacy at scale.

That distinction matters. In modern influence campaigns, credibility is often the product, not the byproduct. A polished website, a pseudo-academic veneer and coordinated social distribution can make false narratives appear institutional, even when the audience remains relatively small.

OpenAI said the episode illustrates how influence actors can use AI to support broader efforts to obscure authorship, build trust and elevate preferred narratives. It also noted that the use of AI can, paradoxically, expose the operation itself when the supporting infrastructure is scrutinized.

Part Of A Pattern Of Pro-Russia Activity

This is not the first time OpenAI has moved against accounts linked to pro-Russia activity. In February, the company said it shut down ChatGPT accounts associated with Rybar, a pro-Russia media organization that the U.K. government has described as partially coordinated by the Russian Presidential Administration and connected to Russian state interests.

OpenAI said it does not permit access to its models from Russia, but added that the operators in this case used VPNs to mask their location. CNBC has contacted the Russian embassy in London and Russia’s Foreign Ministry for comment.

The broader lesson for businesses, governments and platforms is clear: the next generation of influence campaigns may not rely on volume alone. They will rely on process, polish and the strategic use of AI to create the appearance of authority.

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Europe’s Deadly Summer Heat Exposed The Cost Of A Warming Continent

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 23, 2026

Europe experienced its deadliest summer for heat-related deaths on record in 2026, with an estimated 24,400 excess deaths linked to extreme temperatures across 30 countries. Researchers estimate that human-induced climate change was responsible for around 32,000 of the deaths attributed to heat in the study’s broader analysis, accounting for 65% of the total.

The findings highlight the growing public-health consequences of global warming, largely driven by fossil fuel use, as extreme heat becomes more frequent and severe.

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A Summer Of Dangerous Heat

Between June and August, heatwaves pushed temperatures in Western Europe to an average of 2.9°C above the 1991–2020 norm, with some days reaching 12°C above average. Nearly a third of estimated heat-related deaths occurred during a particularly intense heatwave between 17 June and 1 July.

“These numbers are a stark reminder that our hotter, more extreme summers are having an increasingly severe impact on public health,” said Dr Clair Barnes, a researcher at Imperial College London and co-author of the study.

The estimated toll exceeded previous peaks of around 29,000 deaths in summer 2022 and 28,000 in 2003 across the region studied.

How Researchers Estimated The Toll

Researchers modelled the relationship between temperature and mortality across 854 urban areas in the EU, UK, Norway and Switzerland, covering around 40% of the population in the 30 countries studied.

The analysis incorporated temperature records, age, socioeconomic conditions, environmental factors and access to healthcare. By comparing actual temperatures with those expected without human-induced warming, the team estimated the additional deaths attributable to climate change.

Final official mortality figures for summer 2026 are not yet available in many countries, and heat-related deaths are often underreported because their effects can be difficult to identify directly.

Older People Face The Greatest Risk

People aged 85 and over accounted for roughly half of the estimated deaths. However, the impact extended across age groups, with around 800 excess deaths among adults aged 20–44 and approximately 6,000 among people under 65.

Southern Europe experienced the highest mortality burden, reflecting hotter temperatures and other vulnerabilities, including air pollution, limited green space and unequal access to healthcare and heat-alert systems.

Italy, France And Spain Record Highest Toll

Italy recorded an estimated 13,303 heat-related excess deaths, followed by France with 7,268 and Spain with 6,824. Germany recorded around 6,340, while the UK saw an estimated 4,354 deaths.

In the UK, the heat also placed significant pressure on healthcare services. Andrew Hartle, Professor of Practice of Anaesthesia at Imperial College Healthcare, said demand during the summer resembled that of a severe winter virus season.

Cities Urged To Strengthen Heat Protection

Researchers say cities can reduce the risks through climate shelters, external shading and building retrofits, alongside measures to help residents avoid exposure during the hottest hours. Checking on vulnerable people, staying hydrated and following heat alerts are also important.

The researchers stress that adaptation must go hand in hand with reducing fossil fuel use to limit further warming. The findings underline that extreme heat is already a major public-health threat across Europe, with thousands of lives at risk each summer.

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