OpenAI announced on Friday that it has terminated the accounts of users from China and North Korea who were suspected of utilizing its technology for malicious activities, such as surveillance and opinion manipulation.

These activities represent potential ways for authoritarian regimes to exploit AI against both the United States and their own citizens, according to OpenAI's report. The company mentioned that AI tools were employed to detect these operations but did not specify the number of accounts banned or the time frame over which the action took place.

In one incident, users generated news articles in Spanish using ChatGPT that criticized the United States, which were then published by mainstream news outlets in Latin America under a Chinese company's byline.

In another case, individuals potentially linked to North Korea used AI to create resumes and online profiles for fake job applicants, aiming to secure fraudulent employment at Western companies.

A separate set of ChatGPT accounts, seemingly connected to a financial fraud operation based in Cambodia, leveraged OpenAI’s technology to translate and generate comments across social media and communication platforms, including X and Facebook.

The U.S. government has raised concerns about China’s purported use of artificial intelligence to oppress its population, disseminate misinformation, and compromise the security of the United States and its allies.

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is the most popular AI chatbot, with over 400 million weekly active users. The company is currently in discussions to raise up to $40 billion, potentially setting a record for the largest single funding round for a private company.