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900K Followers, Zero Buzz? Inside an AI Influence Op Targeting Ghana's Election

OpenAI News ★★★ View Markdown
#openai#ai-safety#web

Hey everyone, it's Shiichan! Today's story sits right at the intersection of elections and AI.

OpenAI News openai.com

What was announced?

OpenAI's News page announced that it banned a group of ChatGPT accounts behind a covert influence operation tied to Ghana's 2024 presidential election. The network pumped out content praising Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia while attacking former President John Mahama.

Why it matters

The activity traced back to a commercial entity called DigitSol, operating out of the UAE and Ghana. This gives us a concrete picture of what looks like a political consulting-style operation systematically using AI to produce influence content timed to an election. It's a real-world example of how AI can mass-produce articles and social posts around time-sensitive events like elections, and how that capability can be turned toward this kind of use.

What changes

OpenAI banned the ChatGPT accounts tied to this network, shutting down its content pipeline. That said, OpenAI rated the operation Category 2 on its Breakout Scale, meaning it was active across multiple platforms but showed no evidence that real people picked it up or shared it widely. Investigators also found no sign that mainstream media ever amplified it. The follower counts looked big, but the substance behind them didn't hold up.

Dive Deep

The numbers behind this network are pretty telling once you dig in.

  • Everything centered on a website called Empoweringghana.com, linked to branded accounts across Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, TikTok, and WhatsApp
  • ChatGPT generated everything from long-form news articles to social posts and short comments (in one case, 30 short comments praising one of Bawumia's policies, posted simultaneously from a single account)
  • The Instagram account had roughly 900,000 followers, but nearly half also followed an unrelated Australian legislation account, a strong sign of inflated numbers
  • X told a different story: just 1,535 followers, with engagement in the single or low double digits
  • Many of the posting accounts didn't even use real profile photos
  • The operation shut down on December 8, 2024, the day after Ghana's election on December 7

That gap between a huge follower count and near-zero real engagement is a pretty good tell for spotting this kind of operation.

Wrap-up

  • OpenAI banned ChatGPT accounts tied to a covert influence operation around Ghana's 2024 presidential election
  • The activity traced back to DigitSol, a commercial entity based in the UAE and Ghana, centered on the website Empoweringghana.com and multiple social accounts
  • ChatGPT was used for everything from article writing to social posts and bulk comment generation
  • Most of Instagram's ~900,000 followers look inflated, and OpenAI rated the operation Category 2 on the Breakout Scale (no real spread)
  • If you're following how AI intersects with elections, this is a solid, concrete case to know about!

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