OpenAI Reports China-Linked Accounts Used ChatGPT Against US Data Centers

OpenAI has disclosed that it banned a network of accounts likely originating in China for using ChatGPT to generate content opposing data center construction in the United States, according to a research report the company released Wednesday.

The San Francisco-based AI company identified what it described as "covert influence operations" designed to amplify concerns about data centers' impact on electricity prices. The banned accounts produced social media comments and imagery, including a comic strip depicting a wealthy businessman while a family reacted to high utility bills.

The campaign's scope and effectiveness

OpenAI detected a second cluster of accounts generating material that framed US tariffs as an attempt to "dominate technological competition" with China. The company noted these accounts specifically instructed that content should avoid mentioning Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Despite the effort to "exploit and amplify existing public concerns" about energy costs, OpenAI found no evidence the campaign achieved meaningful influence on public discourse. The company characterized the operation as an attempt to "covertly insert themselves into an ongoing American debate about the future of the country's AI capabilities while hiding who they were and what motivated them."

China's embassy in Washington said it was unfamiliar with the report but rejected "any groundless attacks or smears against China," stating the country "believes in a people-centered approach to AI and advocates openness and inclusiveness."

Expert skepticism on impact

Darren Linvill, a Clemson University professor who studies foreign influence campaigns, expressed doubt about the operation's effectiveness. "My team is very familiar with the work of various Chinese influence actors, and the AI work China has done to date has been interesting but not effective," Linvill said. He questioned whether China would use OpenAI's own platform if seriously attempting to influence discourse around data centers.

Linvill acknowledged that Chinese AI-driven influence efforts are "getting better with each passing month" and raised concerns about future capabilities.

Growing domestic opposition

Opposition to data center construction has intensified organically in the US, with at least 36 projects blocked or delayed between May 2024 and June 2025, according to Data Center Watch, a research initiative by AI security firm 10a Labs.

In March, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced legislation proposing a moratorium on new data centers pending national safeguards. The bill faces long odds given President Donald Trump's regulatory approach and Republican congressional control.

Data centers consumed 1.5 percent of global electricity in 2024, with usage growing 12 percent annually over five years, the International Energy Agency reported. The facilities require massive computing power to train and operate AI models like ChatGPT.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum suggested in May that negative public sentiment toward data centers might not be "organic" and could involve "foreign-sourced dark money," though he provided no evidence.

Why it matters

This disclosure illustrates how AI tools themselves can become vectors for influence operations, even as their creators work to detect misuse. The episode highlights the challenge companies face in policing their platforms while legitimate concerns about data center energy consumption drive genuine grassroots opposition. The difficulty in distinguishing coordinated foreign campaigns from authentic local activism complicates both policy debates and platform governance.

These details were first reported by Al Jazeera.