NEW DELHI: An OpenAI investigation has revealed that Israeli company STOIC tried to interfere in the recent Lok Sabha elections in India by spreading an anti-BJP agenda. This covert influence operation, dubbed “Zero Zeno,” was part of a larger effort by the company to manipulate public opinion in various regions, including Canada, the United States, Israel and Ghana.
Operations overview
The operation used artificial intelligence (AI) to generate online articles and social media comments, which were then disseminated on multiple platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and X. The content was aimed at an Indian audience and focused on criticism of the ruling BJP party and praised by the opposition Congress Party. This campaign was detected and interrupted less than 24 hours after it began.
Tactics and content
The Zero Zeno campaign used a number of tactics to create the illusion of engagement and authenticity. The operation used artificial intelligence to create fictional characters and social media biographies tailored to specific variables such as age, gender and location. In addition, fraudulent accounts were created to comment on and engage with posts published as part of the operation itself, in an attempt to fabricate the impression of real interaction with the audience.
The content of the campaign was divided into several thematic blocks. While some focused on local issues such as the Gaza conflict and Jewish-Muslim relations, others focused specifically on political scenarios in different regions. In the case of India, the comments were critical of the BJP and supportive of the Congress Party. Other clusters included anti-Hamas, anti-Qatar, pro-Israel, and pro-Histadrut (Israeli trade union) content.
Impact assessmentDespite the concerted efforts of the Zero Zeno campaign, the operation failed to attract significant engagement from real audiences. Most interactions were constrained to inauthentic accounts of the operation itself. Various social media platforms, including Meta and X, have already blocked many of these accounts, limiting the potential reach and impact of the campaign.
Using the Breakout Scale, which measures the impact of influence operations, Zero Zeno’s activities were rated at Category 2. This indicates activity on multiple platforms and websites, but without significant reinforcement from real users.
Reacting to the report, IT and Electronics Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “It is abundantly clear and obvious that @BJP4India has been and is the target of influence, disinformation and foreign interference operations carried out by and/or on behalf of certain Indian political parties. “
“This is a very hazardous threat to our democracy. It is obvious that this is driven by vested interests within and outside India and needs to be thoroughly analyzed/examined and exposed. “At this point, in my opinion, these platforms could have published it much earlier, and not so slow, when the elections end,” he added.
Operations overview
The operation used artificial intelligence (AI) to generate online articles and social media comments, which were then disseminated on multiple platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and X. The content was aimed at an Indian audience and focused on criticism of the ruling BJP party and praised by the opposition Congress Party. This campaign was detected and interrupted less than 24 hours after it began.
Tactics and content
The Zero Zeno campaign used a number of tactics to create the illusion of engagement and authenticity. The operation used artificial intelligence to create fictional characters and social media biographies tailored to specific variables such as age, gender and location. In addition, fraudulent accounts were created to comment on and engage with posts published as part of the operation itself, in an attempt to fabricate the impression of real interaction with the audience.
The content of the campaign was divided into several thematic blocks. While some focused on local issues such as the Gaza conflict and Jewish-Muslim relations, others focused specifically on political scenarios in different regions. In the case of India, the comments were critical of the BJP and supportive of the Congress Party. Other clusters included anti-Hamas, anti-Qatar, pro-Israel, and pro-Histadrut (Israeli trade union) content.
Impact assessmentDespite the concerted efforts of the Zero Zeno campaign, the operation failed to attract significant engagement from real audiences. Most interactions were constrained to inauthentic accounts of the operation itself. Various social media platforms, including Meta and X, have already blocked many of these accounts, limiting the potential reach and impact of the campaign.
Using the Breakout Scale, which measures the impact of influence operations, Zero Zeno’s activities were rated at Category 2. This indicates activity on multiple platforms and websites, but without significant reinforcement from real users.
Reacting to the report, IT and Electronics Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “It is abundantly clear and obvious that @BJP4India has been and is the target of influence, disinformation and foreign interference operations carried out by and/or on behalf of certain Indian political parties. “
“This is a very hazardous threat to our democracy. It is obvious that this is driven by vested interests within and outside India and needs to be thoroughly analyzed/examined and exposed. “At this point, in my opinion, these platforms could have published it much earlier, and not so slow, when the elections end,” he added.
