OpenAI's Super PAC Funds AI-Generated News Site Attacking Industry Critics
Key Takeaways
- ▸OpenAI's super PAC is connected to Acutus, a news site with no human staff that publishes entirely AI-generated content
- ▸Acutus uses AI bots impersonating human reporters to solicit comments from industry critics, with emails flagged as fully AI-generated by content detection tools
- ▸69% of the site's articles are classified as fully AI-generated, with only 3 of 94 articles identified as human-authored
Summary
An investigation has revealed that OpenAI's super PAC appears to be funding Acutus, an anonymously operated digital news site that publishes AI-generated articles. The site, which launched in December 2025, contains no human reporters, editors, or bylines, with analysis showing 69% of its 94+ articles are fully AI-generated and another 28% partially AI-generated. The publication uses AI-powered bots posing as human journalists to contact industry critics for comment, including sending emails attributed to a fictional reporter named "Michael Chen." The discovery marks the second connection this month between Targeted Victory—the firm at the center of OpenAI's $125 million political operation—and suspicious media operations designed to attack AI industry critics.
- The website's source code reveals a backend interface for AI article generation, complete with fields for "AI Background Context" and "Question Prompts"
- This appears to be part of OpenAI's broader $125 million political operation involving Targeted Victory
