Russia Used ChatGPT for Operations in Argentina and Bolivia

• The Russian campaign "Dark Clark" aimed to influence political leaders in Argentina and Bolivia.
• There is a growing malicious use of AI, even against the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

The artificial intelligence company OpenAI ---creator of ChatGPT--- reports having recently detected and dismantled two covert influence operations, one originating from Russia and another from Iran, that used its language models to spread political messages.

According to a statement issued on October 8, 2026, the Russian campaign, dubbed "Dark Clark," specifically aimed to influence the political outcomes in Argentina and Bolivia, in addition to seeking to discredit Ukraine throughout Latin America.

Since access to OpenAI services is not permitted from Russia, the operators used virtual private networks to connect.

The report details that Russian operators primarily used ChatGPT to draft internal reports, create content for their campaigns, and manage a fake think tank called the Social Research Center (SRC, for its acronym in English).

Through this front entity, controlled by a fictitious identity named "Mia Clark," the operation managed to recruit employees in Latin America who were unaware they were working for a Russian-origin group.

The SRC, according to OpenAI's report, managed to publish over sixty original articles written by locally hired staff.

In the case of Argentina, the operation claimed to have executed two campaigns during the year 2024 against President Javier Milei. Internal reports indicated that they spread a false news story claiming that the president had purchased jewelry collars from the Cartier brand for his dogs.
The dissemination of false news to discredit the Argentine government was directed from Russia, according to OpenAI. Source: elcallejon809 -- Instagram (screenshot by CriptoNoticias).

Additionally, they claimed to have paid local individuals to create graffiti against Milei in the city of Buenos Aires. According to the investigation, these actions were linked to "Politology" and "La Compania," Russian entities identified as successors to the Wagner Group, founded by oligarch Yevgeniy Prigozhin.

In Bolivia, the disinformation offensive intensified in late May 2026, coinciding with a context of protests against the national government.

The explicit goal of the campaign was to exacerbate the crisis. To achieve this, they spread a false audio recording attributed to a worker from the state water company, EPSAS, claiming that the supply to La Paz would be cut off.

Subsequently, in June, they disseminated another fake audio of a supposed employee of the Central Bank of Bolivia warning about imminent limits on cash withdrawals, in addition to a false letter from the hydrocarbons agency regarding restrictions on fuel sales.

OpenAI classified "Dark Clark" as a category 5 threat on its scale of reach, marking the first time a campaign has reached this level since the company began evaluating these operations.

Its penetration was evidenced by the fact that several of the false contents, which also included deceptions aimed at Peru and Ecuador, prompted fact-checking and official denials.

On the other hand, the Iranian operation, dubbed "Bogus Bylines," used seven fictitious journalist identities to place extensive articles about the conflict between the United States and Iran in digital media worldwide.

There is a growing malicious use of AI that affects bitcoin

This sophistication in the malicious use of artificial intelligence tools transcends state influence operations and represents a growing threat to technological security.

For example, in the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency ecosystem, artificial intelligence has facilitated a new generation of attacks by inexperienced hackers or script kiddies. As reported by CriptoNoticias, the use of these tools allowed vulnerabilities in platforms such as LNP2Pbot, BTCPayServer, and wallets like ZEUS and Coldcard.

The reduction of technical barriers allows individuals with little experience to accelerate their attempts at exploitation at a minimal cost, exploiting flaws through text commands instead of complex programming.

This economic asymmetry benefits attackers, multiplying systemic vulnerabilities for the digital asset industry, which recorded 212 security incidents linked to thefts of over $1.1 billion during the first half of 2026.

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