A new OpenAI threat report has triggered concern in Washington after it found that ChatGPT accounts likely linked to China were used to produce material around US debates on artificial intelligence, data centres and tariffs.
The case is being seen as part of a larger contest over technology narratives at a time when AI infrastructure has become a politically sensitive issue in the United States, with energy prices, data centre expansion and competition with China all feeding into the public debate.
Rep. John Moolenaar, Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, said the findings showed an attempt to turn America’s open political environment into a tool for influence.
“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. We are blessed to live in a free and open society where we can debate these topics,” Moolenaar said, according to IANS.
“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,” he added.
How OpenAI traced the China-linked ChatGPT activity
In its June 2026 threat report, OpenAI said it had banned two clusters of ChatGPT accounts that were “likely originating from China”. The company said the accounts were being used to support covert influence activity connected to US technology policy and the wider contest over advanced tech.
One cluster was named “Data Centre Bandwagon”. According to OpenAI, it created social media comments and images that sought to blame AI data centres for higher electricity bills faced by ordinary Americans.
The company said the material moved through likely inauthentic social media accounts and appeared designed to feed unease over the cost of expanding AI infrastructure.
The second cluster, identified as “Tech and Tariffs”, focused on US tariff policy and technology rivalry. It produced comments and political cartoons criticising tariffs and casting Washington as a power seeking technological dominance.
OpenAI also said the operators gave specific instructions to show only President Donald Trump in the cartoons and to avoid any mention of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
False ChatGPT data breach claims were also pushed
The same networks were also linked to false claims that ChatGPT user data had been compromised, according to the report. OpenAI rejected those claims, saying, “These allegations were entirely false.”
The company said the campaigns did not break through in any significant way. Its assessment found “no authentic engagement” and “no evidence of meaningful breakout beyond its own activity.”
Still, OpenAI flagged the nature of the narratives as significant. The accounts were not merely producing generic propaganda, but testing themes that already sit inside live American debates: power bills, AI data centres, tariffs, economic pressure and the race for technological leadership.
Moolenaar said the congressional panel would continue to examine possible Chinese influence around the data centre issue.
“My committee and I will continue to investigate potential Chinese malign influence in the data centre debate, and I hope all Americans involved in these debates will treat one another with respect,” he said.
The report lands amid a deepening AI race between the United States and China. Both countries are pouring resources into advanced computing, AI infrastructure and next-generation technologies that are increasingly tied to economic strength and national security.