TECH

Those who understand AI better are more afraid of losing their jobs

Whether employees are worried about losing their jobs to AI depends largely on their knowledge of artificial intelligence – and on the extent to which their work can be digitalised. This is one of the findings of the latest AI Monitor published by TU Darmstadt, based on a representative survey of more than 2,000 people conducted in cooperation with the market research and polling institute YouGov.

According to the study, respondents’ affinity with AI is the factor most strongly associated with fear of job loss: The better people understand how artificial intelligence works and what it is already capable of, the more concerned they are about coming under pressure at work because of AI or even losing their jobs. Almost half of those with very good knowledge of AI (around 43 per cent) expect that AI could soon take over their work.

“This is a remarkable and, at the same time, worrying finding,” says project leader Peter Buxmann, Professor of Information Systems at the Department of Law and Economics at TU Darmstadt. “Many debates are based on the assumption that concerns are primarily the result of a lack of information. However, this does not appear to be the case: Those who understand AI best are also the most aware of its disruptive potential.”

The data also show that the industry in which people work is not the decisive factor when it comes to concerns about job loss. What matters more is whether the results of their work can be digitalised. People who primarily produce texts, analyses, reports, presentations, computer code or other digital outputs are significantly more concerned than those whose work relies more heavily on physical presence.

“This applies to most industries and is also understandable,” explains Buxmann. “Lawyers, software developers and social media experts are simply much more affected by the GenAI revolution than tradespeople or nurses.”

Further key findings from the study:

AI has become part of everyday life, but not for everyone. Typical users are young, well educated and predominantly male.

Germany has an AI training gap: Only 15 per cent of respondents have participated in AI training so far.

Real-world risks such as hallucinations and data protection risks are the greatest concerns among respondents. By contrast, only four in ten participants consider the emergence of a future superintelligence likely.

Younger people are more concerned about their jobs than older people. Overall, concerns about job security increased across all occupational groups compared with 2025.

Regarding fears of job losses due to AI, Buxmann said that while generative AI would also create new types of work, it would probably not do so on anything close to the scale at which jobs would disappear. He stressed that the debate was not purely economic: “People who lose their jobs do not just lose their income, but often also a degree of social participation and personal orientation,” he said. “Companies and policymakers need to respond to these concerns not with reassurance, but with training and honest answers to the questions facing the world of work tomorrow.” 

Your statement is backed up by recent research, showing a surprising trend where deep knowledge of artificial intelligence correlates with a higher anxiety about job displacement.A study led by researcher Peter Buxmann at TU Darmstadt revealed that around 43% of people with very good knowledge of AI expect the technology to take over their work soon. This upends the long-standing assumption that fear of AI is simply born out of a lack of information or general technophobia. Instead, those who intimately understand its capabilities are the most acutely aware of its highly disruptive potential.

Why expertise increases anxiety:

Awareness of the "Digitization Factor": Experts realize that job security doesn't just depend on the industry you work in, but on whether the output of your work can be digitized.

The White-Collar Shift: Unlike historical automation waves that mostly impacted manual labor, advanced AI targets cognitive tasks like writing, analyzing data, and programming. Those inside the tech loop see firsthand how easily these tasks can be streamlined or completely automated.

Rather than easing anxieties with vague reassurances, researchers note that companies and policymakers need to provide honest answers and structured training to help highly skilled workers navigate this shifting landscape.

TU Darmstadt

DIGITAL LIFE

How AliExpress monitors you while you simply browse the site

Online shopping seems like a simple activity: open the site, search for a product, and eventually complete the purchase. But behind this experience, modern web pages can observe an impressive number of technical characteristics of your device. Screen specs, graphics, memory, the browser, and even the behavior of specific APIs can reveal information. In the case of AliExpress, an investigation uncovered an additional element in this data collection process—one involving something we usually don't even notice while browsing.

Strange behavior caught his attention...The issue came to light almost by chance when Matthew Callaghan, a software engineer and hardware specialist, noticed his multipoint Bluetooth headphones behaving unusually.

Normally, the headphones could stay connected to both his computer and mobile phone simultaneously. However, whenever Callaghan opened AliExpress in Firefox or Chrome, the audio playing from his phone would stop reaching the headphones.

The problem would vanish as soon as the site's tab was closed.

There was also a particularly curious detail: there was no music, video, or visible multimedia content playing on AliExpress.

Callaghan then began investigating what was happening behind the scenes. Muting the tab didn't solve it. Even muting the browser or Windows itself failed to stop the behavior.

His analysis eventually pointed to scripts running on the page and to a technology that, under normal circumstances, is associated with in-browser audio applications.

That was the moment the site's seemingly mundane operation began to reveal something far more interesting.

The browser was processing a signal that no one could hear... According to the investigation, scripts identified as `collina.js` and `fireyejs.js` were creating `AudioContext` objects using the Web Audio API.

These scripts apparently generated a known audio wave and analyzed how the browser processed that information. The result could then serve as yet another technical characteristic used to identify a specific environment.

The detail that makes this discovery especially intriguing is that the audio didn't need to be audible to fulfill this function. After processing, the signal was sent to the audio output with the gain set to zero. In practice, this meant the user should hear absolutely nothing.

Even so, the activity was enough to interfere with the operation of Callaghan’s Bluetooth headphones. Ironically, this very side effect ended up exposing an operation that was meant to go unnoticed.

The technique is related to so-called "browser fingerprinting." The idea isn't to capture a physical fingerprint, but to gather various technical characteristics capable of distinguishing one device from another.

And the audio was just a small part of the story.

The fingerprint involved much more than just audio...The investigation indicated that the analyzed scripts also checked a range of other characteristics of the browsing environment.

These included information related to Canvas and WebGL, screen dimensions, available memory, compatibility with various multimedia formats, WebRTC, processing times, and specific user interactions.

Individually, much of this information might seem insignificant. The issue—or the utility, depending on your perspective—arises when several of these data points are combined.

Together, these characteristics can create a highly specific technical profile, making it possible to distinguish between different browsers and devices.

The scripts identified during the analysis appear to be linked to AWSC, and Callaghan believes they may be associated with security and abuse-prevention mechanisms used by Alibaba.

AliExpress's privacy policy already provides for the automatic collection of certain technical information and data related to service usage. However, this does not mean the company specifically disclosed this Web Audio experiment, nor does it allow us to determine how that information would subsequently be used.

Furthermore, based on available data, there is insufficient evidence to claim that the system was used to personally identify users or that it violated any laws.

Chrome and Firefox have already made this type of tracking more difficult...There is also an important caveat. The mere fact that a webpage performs an audio analysis does not necessarily mean it can identify a browser with high precision.

Firefox and Chrome have been adopting measures to reduce precisely this type of variation between devices.

In Firefox, changes implemented starting with version 118—released in 2023—have made the results produced by the Web Audio API much more uniform. Data cited by developer Tom Ritter indicates that 99.24% of measurements fall into just three result categories.

Google also states that measures incorporated into Chrome make this specific method ineffective for fingerprinting.

Even so, the discovery is significant because it demonstrates how a webpage can exploit technical characteristics that typically remain completely imperceptible to the user.

The most intriguing question, therefore, is not merely whether invisible audio can accurately identify someone. It is realizing just how much information a modern browser can reveal while everything appears to be proceeding normally.

In the case of AliExpress, it took only a few Bluetooth headphones behaving strangely to turn a virtually invisible activity into a concrete clue.

And that is perhaps the most curious aspect of the entire story: while the user was simply browsing an online store, their own equipment ended up revealing what was happening behind the scenes.

mundophone

TECH

Hackers breach in-car Android systems in a new type of digital attack

Kaspersky has revealed a malware campaign that managed to infiltrate Android systems installed in the central control consoles of various car models. The investigation, conducted in June, identified a sophisticated scheme that exploited the update mechanism built into the console firmware, turning the vehicles into unexpected targets for malicious activity. According to the company, this is the first documented case of an attack specifically designed for this type of equipment, which combines multimedia functions with—in some instances—control over the vehicle itself.

Researchers discovered that the attack originated in a legitimate system component called TWCore, which is responsible for collecting analytics and managing software updates. This module received instructions from the manufacturer's server regarding which applications to install or update. Attackers exploited this channel to introduce a dropper named JarService, which initiated a multi-stage infection chain that was both stealthy and difficult to detect. The malware installed itself like a standard application but lacked a visible interface, running silently in the background.

Nine distinct commands were identified, allowing operators to display unwanted ads, commit ad fraud, and download additional modules. The software also gathered device information, such as the model, screen resolution, connected Wi-Fi network, and MAC address. Although these units rarely store sensitive personal data, many maintain constant internet access and even support SIM cards. This makes them attractive targets for those seeking to expand botnets or exploit home networks via illicit proxies.

Technical analysis led researchers to link this campaign to the MoYu group, which is associated with the BadBox botnet. This botnet comprises Android devices compromised at the factory—including TV boxes, smartphones, and tablets. Operators use these devices for ad fraud, data theft, and the creation of proxy networks. The company found similarities between the control panel used in this attack and proxy services such as PXYEDGE and ProxyForU, reinforcing the link to the BadBox ecosystem.

DoFun, the manufacturer of the affected units, was notified by Kaspersky and has confirmed that the issue has been fixed. However, researchers warn that this case demonstrates a worrying trend: hackers are exploiting increasingly diverse and sophisticated methods to distribute malware, ranging from pre-installed backdoors to compromised IPTV applications. They are now targeting automotive platforms, which had not previously been considered a priority target.

For Kaspersky, this incident serves as a warning that the digital systems in modern cars require robust, ongoing protection against emerging threats. "Despite efforts by cybersecurity experts and authorities to dismantle the BadBox botnet, individual actors associated with it continue to carry out malicious activities, infecting devices worldwide," notes Kaspersky security researcher Dmitry Kalinin.

Create a botnet...This is the first documented case of malware infecting a car head unit via an attack specifically designed for this type of device, according to a report by a Russian company published on Friday.

The malware was found on head units manufactured by DoFun, a Chinese automotive software and hardware supplier whose systems are widely used in China and other Asia-Pacific countries. Researchers attributed the campaign with high confidence to the MoYu Group, a threat actor linked to the BadBox malware operation, which has previously compromised Android smartphones, tablets, streaming devices, and other internet-connected products.

Infection and functionalities...Kaspersky traced the infections to TWCore, a legitimate system application installed on DoFun devices that collects analytics and manages software updates. Attackers abused this functionality to push a malicious app called JarService to affected devices without requiring drivers to click a link or install anything, the report detailed.

JarService has no visible user interface and acts as a downloader for additional malicious code, making it difficult for drivers to notice the compromise. The malware can display ads and generate fraudulent clicks, but its ultimate goal appears to be expanding a botnet. One observed module turns infected units into reverse proxies, allowing other people's internet traffic to be routed through the infected device.

BadBox context...BadBox has previously been linked to malware installed on Android devices before they reached consumers. In December 2024, German authorities disrupted the original BadBox botnet by cutting off communications between infected devices and the hackers' command-and-control infrastructure, but the criminals quickly resurfaced with an updated version. The FBI also warned last year that BadBox 2.0 was targeting IoT devices, including aftermarket vehicle infotainment systems.

mundophone

TECH

Study identifies potential savings in material requirements for wind energy expansion

For their analysis, the researchers reconstructed the development of Germany’s wind turbine fleet since 1988 and modelled various scenarios for its future development up to 2050. Among other things, they examined the material requirements for concrete, steel, copper, aluminium, polymers and composite materials. The study makes it clear that the further expansion of wind energy is associated with a considerable demand for materials. At the same time, the results show that the specific design of repowering measures is crucial for resource efficiency. In particular, the reuse of foundations, infrastructure components and other plant parts can significantly reduce material requirements.

The study analyses material flows and resource efficiency in the wind energy sector. Against the backdrop of wind energy expansion targets, it examines how future expansion can be organised in a way that conserves resources as much as possible. In doing so, it provides a scientific basis for assessing material requirements and potential savings in relation to wind turbines.

“Our aim was to systematically examine the material requirements of different expansion and repowering pathways and to highlight potential for material savings,” emphasises Christoph Helbig, Professor of Ecological Resource Technology and co-author of the study. “The results show that reuse strategies can be an important lever for combining resource efficiency with expansion targets.” The recycling of the wind turbines after their use was not part of this assessment.

In public debate, reference is often made to the absolute quantities of materials required for the construction and refurbishment of wind turbines. The study confirms that wind turbines consist of significant quantities of various raw materials and that their expansion requires corresponding resources. However, the key scientific finding of the study does not lie solely in quantifying these material requirements. Rather, a key finding concerns the potential to reduce future resource consumption through appropriate repowering strategies. 

Repowering refers to the replacement of older wind turbines with modern, more powerful ones. In the repowering scenario, in which the foundations, towers, and parts of the wind farm infrastructure are reused, the demand for concrete for onshore wind expansion is reduced by 14%, steel by 10%, and copper by 7% compared to a repowering scenario without reuse. For German offshore wind farms, cumulative copper demand would fall by 11% in the repowering scenario with reuse of the infrastructure. The analysis shows that, in particular, approaches to reusing foundations and infrastructure components can enable substantial material savings.

The researchers view their work as a contribution to a fact-based assessment of resource issues in the energy sector. Material requirements, the availability of raw materials, reuse and the circular economy are becoming increasingly important as the energy system undergoes transformation. The study provides a quantitative basis for this and highlights the options available for reducing resource use in the wind energy sector.

The University of Bayreuth points out that no blanket conclusions for or against a particular energy technology can be drawn from the study’s findings. Rather, the study provides scientific insights into how material flows are developing and what options are available for improving resource efficiency.

North Sea wind farm expansion may shift rain offshore, simulations suggest...Offshore wind farms are a key pillar of the energy transition. The European Union plans to expand offshore wind capacity in the North Sea by 2050. A new study by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon indicates that a very extensive expansion could influence regional precipitation patterns: While precipitation over the sea could increase, it could decrease in coastal regions.

The research provides comprehensive insights into the potential regional climate impacts of future offshore wind farms, which the researchers emphasize must always be planned in harmony with the environment.

Researchers at Hereon's Institute of Coastal Systems—Analysis and Modeling used the high-resolution regional climate model COSMO-CLM to simulate various technical offshore wind energy expansion scenarios. The simulations were based on weather data covering the period from 2008 to 2017.

By analyzing an entire decade, the researchers were able to derive mean atmospheric dynamics across a wide range of weather conditions while reducing the influence of year-to-year variability. This approach allows potential long-term effects to be identified more robustly. The simulations included both existing and potential future offshore wind farm areas in the North Sea and Baltic Sea.

The researchers also considered the effects of wind turbines on wind speed, atmospheric mixing and moisture transport. Their aim was to gain a better understanding of the fundamental atmospheric processes that could be triggered by large offshore wind farm clusters. "Our work helps ensure that the further expansion of offshore wind energy in Europe can be aligned with the requirements of climate protection, environmental protection and coastal management," says Dr. Naveed Akhtar, lead author of the study.

A deliberately extreme expansion scenario...The scenario simulated in the study represents a purely technical expansion pathway that exceeds the European Union's current offshore wind deployment targets. It includes all designated areas in the North Sea and Baltic Sea that have been identified for potential offshore wind energy development. For these areas, the researchers assumed maximum deployment, resulting in an installed capacity that would substantially exceed the currently discussed target of 300 GW by 2050.

The researchers deliberately chose this scenario to make potential climate effects clearly detectable and estimate their magnitude. The rationale is that considerable uncertainty remains regarding which areas will ultimately be developed and how political targets may evolve in the future.

Precipitation patterns change...The results show that a large-scale expansion of offshore wind energy could lead to increased precipitation over offshore wind farm areas, while precipitation in adjacent coastal regions could decrease. The underlying mechanism is that wind turbines extract part of the wind's kinetic energy and simultaneously increase atmospheric turbulence.

Downstream of the turbines, strong variations in air movement enhance the exchange between different layers of the atmosphere. As a result, moist air can rise, cool and condense, leading to cloud formation and precipitation over the wind farms.

At the same time, the transport of moisture toward the coast is altered. If air masses release a greater share of their moisture as precipitation over offshore wind farm areas, less moisture remains available for precipitation in coastal regions. For parts of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, the simulations indicate potential reductions in coastal precipitation of up to 15%.

Long-term weather statistics rather than individual weather events...These findings can support sustainable maritime spatial planning and strengthen cross-border cooperation in the North Sea and Baltic Sea region. Previous studies by Hereon have shown that factors such as the size, layout and spacing of wind turbines can have a significant influence on atmospheric effects.

Future research should investigate a range of expansion scenarios and analyze how parameters such as turbine density, wind farm size and spatial distribution affect the regional climate. In addition, the researchers plan to further explore the impacts of offshore wind farms on the ocean and marine ecosystems.

source: Ecological Resource Technology

TECH

This mini ITX motherboard sports up to 96 GB DDR5 RAM and 12-core AMD Zen 5 chip

Axiomtek has introduced a new Zen 5-powered mini-ITX motherboard aimed particularly at gaming. The product is powered by up to a 12-core Ryzen AI Embedded P100 APU and can be equipped with 96 GB of DDR5 RAM.

Mini-ITX boards with soldered embedded processors from AMD and Intel are quite common, aimed primarily at industrial applications. However, the new GMB150 Mini-ITX board from Axiomtek takes a different approach, targeting gaming applications instead of typical industrial workloads.

This is possible thanks to the AMD Ryzen P100 series APUs powering the GMB150 motherboard. The P100 family features anywhere between 4 to 12 Zen 5 cores, along with iGPUs ranging from 2 to 16 CUs based on RDNA 3.5.

The performance of the upper-end Ryzen P100 chips should be almost the same as their "Gorgon Point" consumer counterparts. To be more specific, the GMB150 will be equipped with up to the AMD Ryzen AI P185 APU featuring a total of 12 cores and 24 threads. The APU is nearly identical to the Ryzen AI 9 HX 470, with the biggest difference being a 100 MHz lower boost clock and a more modest power envelope.

Therefore, it can be said that the highest-end GMB150 motherboard will be quite a performant part, and should be able to keep up with modern high-end Intel Panther Lake and AMD Gorgon Point-powered systems. 

Lower-end variants with the 4-core Ryzen AI P121, 6-core P132, 8-core P164, and 10-core P174-powered configurations will also be available. 

The motherboard sports dual DDR5-5600 SODIMM slots, which can be equipped with up to 96 GB of RAM. Storage requirements, on the other hand, are taken care of by a single M.2 2280 slot and dual SATA 3 ports. The I/O on offer has been detailed below:

Triple USB 2.0 Type-A, single USB 3.2 Gen 1

Two RS-232 COM ports, four RS-232 box headers

Dual USB 2.0 box headers, single USB 3.2 Gen 1 x1 Type-A (internal)

Dual 1G Ethernet

8-bit GPIO header

Multiple expansion pathways are also possible courtesy of a single PCIe x8 slot (physical x16), a single M.2 2230 slot, and dual PCIe-based proprietary "Golden Finger" expansion connectors for I/O modules from Axiomtek.

The GMB150 will be available soon according to Axiomtek, although its pricing details are yet to be revealed. Interested customers can contact Axiomtek directly in order to get a quote, which is likely to depend on order volume.

Typical consumers looking for a similarly powerful gaming mini PC can check out something like the Minisforum Ai X1 mini PC, powered by the Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 Gorgon Point APU.

mundophone

TECH

Why does so much laboratory plastic end up in the trash, even though it is recyclable?

Laboratories require disposable plastic for a simple reason: to prevent contamination. Bottles, Petri dishes, and pipette tips are used daily; once they come into contact with potentially contaminated samples, they can no longer follow the standard recycling path. For years, this meant sterilization, transport, and often, final disposal. Now, a new technology aims to change this dynamic right where the waste is generated.

The paradox arises once the experiment ends. Many laboratory containers are made from plastics that could otherwise be recycled. The problem is that, after coming into contact with microorganisms or certain substances, they are classified as contaminated waste.

This completely changes their fate.

Instead of entering a conventional recycling stream, these materials must undergo specific decontamination processes. Often, they are sterilized in autoclaves—equipment that uses high-pressure steam. Even after this treatment, some of the waste may still end up in landfills or be incinerated.

The result is a counterintuitive situation: an object made of recyclable material can turn into trash simply because it was used in a laboratory.

This is where a new approach comes in. Instead of transporting waste to an off-site facility, a machine allows various treatment stages to be carried out within the laboratory itself.

The equipment decontaminates the materials and then shreds them. The result is fragments that can be sent for sorting and subsequent recovery.

The goal isn't to instantly turn a used bottle into a new one. The objective is more fundamental—and perhaps more important: to remove the obstacle preventing the waste from re-entering the recycling stream.

In Scotland, the experiment has already processed thousands of bottles...The technology is called GENERATIONS and was developed by Envetec Sustainable Technologies. Scottish Water, the public utility responsible for water supply in Scotland, decided to put the system to the test.

Since January, the system has processed approximately 72,000 bottles used for sample collection. This initiative made the company the first water utility in the world to use such a system, according to an announcement released by Scottish Water itself.

But the bottles are just the beginning. The system is now also being used for materials that are harder to send for conventional recycling, such as Petri dishes and pipette tips.

The importance of this shift becomes clearer when looking at the scale of the problem. Scottish Water’s laboratories conduct around 3 million analyses annually, examining samples from various locations across Scotland to monitor water quality, identify microorganisms, and track environmental parameters.

This volume generates a significant amount of plastic waste.

The Scottish initiative therefore seeks to transform an unavoidable stage of scientific activity. Instead of automatically treating certain products as trash after use, the idea is to determine whether they can be decontaminated and prepared for a recovery process.

A solution to a much larger problem...The challenge is far from unique to Scottish Water. The University of Bath estimates that scientific research accounts for approximately 2% of global plastic waste and calculates that a life sciences laboratory professional can generate about 116 kilograms of waste per year.

The reason for so much disposable plastic is understandable. In scientific settings, reusing a pipette tip or other material that has come into contact with a sample can lead to contamination, alter results, and compromise critical analyses.

The technology, therefore, does not aim simply to eliminate disposable products. Instead, it seeks to address what happens after they have served their purpose.

Another interesting feature of the system is traceability. The equipment records data such as the volume processed, the types of polymers involved, the origin of the waste, and the material's ultimate destination. It also allows for estimates of the emissions that could have been avoided. This can help answer a fundamental question: did the plastic really return to the recovery chain, or did it simply change location?

If the experiment demonstrates consistent results on a larger scale, the technology could spark interest among universities, hospitals, and research centers. After all, the issue lies not only in the amount of plastic used in science but also in the difficulty of recovering materials that—despite being technically recyclable—pose a biohazard risk.

The machine does not eliminate laboratories' reliance on disposable plastic. However, it can address one of the most challenging aspects of the problem: preventing contamination from turning potentially recyclable material into permanent waste.

mundophone

 

DIGITAL LIFE

OpenAI blocks Russian-origin AI influence campaign

An AI-driven influence campaign used ChatGPT to create posts promoting an entity presented as an Israel-based think tank. OpenAI blocked the associated accounts after concluding they likely originated in Russia.

The operation promoted the "International Burke Institute" through content published on X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Substack, and Telegram. The institute featured experts, academic articles, and a "sovereignty index," but an analysis revealed plagiarized texts, false attributions, and content favorable to Russia.

Key points:

OpenAI blocked a set of ChatGPT accounts likely originating in Russia.

The operators used the platform to create posts and comments for social media.

Analysis found 34 plagiarized articles in a sample of 36 pieces of content associated with the institute.

Most posts saw little engagement, although some Telegram channels amassed between 10,000 and 20,000 followers.

OpenAI announced the account blocks on August 25 in a report on the influence operation. The company stated that users accessed ChatGPT from Russia using virtual private networks (VPNs).

Access to OpenAI models is not available in Russia. VPNs allowed the accounts to mask their actual location and bypass this restriction.

The operators wrote prompts in Russian but requested content primarily in English. Some requests specified the removal of linguistic traits that might reveal the authors' Russian origin.

OpenAI identified ChatGPT-generated text in posts on X, LinkedIn, Facebook, Substack, and Telegram. Some accounts used the International Burke Institute's name and visual identity. Others posed as ordinary users and primarily shared links to the entity's content.

ChatGPT was also used to generate replies to posts by real users on Substack. These messages typically recommended that readers follow the institute's channel. The investigation also uncovered German-language posts targeting Ukraine, the European Union, and the German government. Another operator requested images for approximately 12 Telegram channels focused on Germany, the United States, France, Poland, and Turkey.

Attribution requires caution. OpenAI considers it highly likely that the accounts originated in Russia but presented no evidence of a direct link to the Russian government.

The institute used plagiarized academic content...Most of the activity promoted the International Burke Institute, also known by the acronym IBI. Its website was registered in February 2025 and presented the organization as an international community of experts based in Israel.

The page linked well-known figures from academia and politics to the institute. Among them were Francis Fukuyama, Noam Chomsky, and former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

OpenAI’s research analyzed a sample of 36 articles published between September 2025 and May 2026. The company concluded that 34 of them had been copied from other online sources.

Some texts were years old. Others were attributed to authors who had not written them. One article about the China-Pakistan economic corridor, for instance, reproduced a work published by Cambridge University Press but attributed the content to a different researcher.

In another instance, the site linked an article on migration policy to an Australian food chemistry professor. The original text had been published by the Migration Policy Institute and was authored by others.

An independent investigation by *Le Monde* also found references to alleged partnerships with international organizations. UNICEF confirmed to the newspaper that the International Burke Institute was not an approved partner and that there was no record of any joint work.

These elements created an appearance of academic authority. The plagiarized content gave the site a documentary foundation that could seem legitimate to a reader who did not verify the original authors and publications. OpenAI found no evidence that the items hosted on the site had been produced by its models. ChatGPT's role focused primarily on creating promotional posts for social media.

Artificial intelligence supported the distribution of the campaign... The International Burke Institute also published an index designed to assess national sovereignty. The methodology placed Russia in a favorable position while presenting negative assessments of France, Germany, the European Union, and the United States.

The texts argued that Western European countries had lost political and economic autonomy. They also criticized European support for Ukraine and advocated for better relations with Russia.

Using a proprietary index lent the messages a quantitative appearance. Operators could present political opinions as the results of an institutional methodology, even without demonstrating the validity of the criteria used.

ChatGPT served to amplify the distribution of this content. Instead of building an entire infrastructure from scratch, the model generated messages tailored to different platforms and audiences.

This distinction is crucial for understanding the role of artificial intelligence in influence operations. While the technology can reduce the time and cost required to produce content in multiple languages, it still relies on websites, accounts, channels, and distribution mechanisms.

In this instance, the use of ChatGPT also contributed to the operation's detection. By analyzing accounts and requests, OpenAI was able to link scattered posts to the International Burke Institute and the channels promoting its content.

OpenAI considers the campaign's immediate impact to have been limited. Social media posts generally garnered few views and interactions, and the institute's official accounts had few subscribers.

Telegram channels boasted larger audiences; according to the company, several had between 10,000 and 20,000 followers. These figures do not, in themselves, confirm that the followers were authentic or that they engaged with the content.

Using the impact scale developed by the Brookings Institution, OpenAI placed the operation at the lower end of category three. This classification corresponds to activity spanning multiple platforms, with some evidence of contact with real audiences.

The case is significant primarily due to its infrastructure. The operation brought together an entity with an institutional appearance, alleged experts, academic content, a proprietary index, and distribution channels across several countries.

*Le Monde* also identified individuals physically present in Israel who were associated with the institute or the promotion of the index. OpenAI stated that it was unable to determine the relationship between these individuals, the IBI, and the operators based in Russia.

To date, there is also no proven link between the institute and the Social Design Agency, an entity associated with other Russian disinformation campaigns. However, previously released documents outlined plans to establish a think tank in Israel capable of distributing content through Western media outlets.

The case demonstrates that artificial intelligence can serve as a component of broader operations aimed at manufacturing credibility. A limited initial reach does not eliminate the risk that such an infrastructure could expand, gain recognition, and serve as an apparent source for political content.

mundophone