Why China using ChatGPT

June 12, 2026

A b i par t i san congressional leader has accused China of attempting to exploit America’s open political system after OpenAI disclosed that Chinalinked actors used ChatGPT to generate content aimed at influencing debates over US tariffs and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure. There are legitimate questions about data centres, and Americans deserve answers as companies work to build the infrastructure we need for our nation’s future. Unfortunately, the Chinese Communist Party exploits our openness and works to divide Americans through its United Front organisations and other entities. Its state-run media has published English-language articles overtly attempting to divide Americans on the construction of data centres, and some elements in China are attempting to do so by more disguised methods. According to OpenAI’s June 2026 threat report, the company banned two clusters of ChatGPT accounts “likely originating from China” after they used the platform to support what it described as covert influence operations targeting debates around American AI policy and technology competition. The first operation, dubbed the “Data Ce`ntre Bandwagon” campaign, generated social media comments and images claiming that AI data centres were driving up electricity prices for ordinary Americans, it said. OpenAI said the content was posted through likely inauthentic social media accounts and sought to amplify concerns about rising energy costs linked to AI infrastructure. The second operation, called the “Tech and Tariffs” campaign, produced comments and political cartoons criticising US tariffs and portraying Washington as seeking technological dominance. OpenAI said operators specifically instructed the system to depict only President Donald Trump and avoid references to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Some of the same networks also spread false claims that ChatGPT user data had been compromised. OpenAI stated that “These allegations were entirely false.” OpenAI said the campaigns had little impact online. The company concluded that the social media efforts received “no authentic engagement” and found “no evidence of meaningful breakout beyond its own activity.” Still, the company warned that the significance of the operations lay in the narratives being tested. It said the campaigns attempted to connect US technology policies with economic anxieties and public concerns, while inserting foreign actors into ongoing domestic debates over AI, energy costs and technological competition