Digit, citing The Intercept, reports that Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus posed as Ukrainian official Rustem Umerov and drew three OpenAI national security staff into a roughly 17-minute video call about possible military AI cooperation. OpenAI said it investigated and concluded the meeting was a prank, according to Digit’s account of its statement to The Intercept. Source
According to Digit, the pranksters told The Intercept they approached a senior Ukrainian official in San Francisco while pretending to be Umerov. That official reportedly believed the request was genuine and offered to arrange an introduction to OpenAI’s national security team. Source
Digit identifies the OpenAI participants as Sasha Baker, head of national security policy; Caroline Zier, lead for strategic initiatives; and Ben Crampton, lead for European national security initiatives. Source
The impersonator appears to have kept his camera off throughout, Digit reports. Baker and Zier reportedly told the caller they had met him before and were pleased to speak with him again. That makes for an awkward reunion. Source
The reported conversation covered possible cooperation with Ukraine’s military, including whether OpenAI’s tools could be used in offensive operations. In Digit’s account of the recording cited by The Intercept, Crampton described hesitation among many senior OpenAI leaders about offensive uses, while expressing interest in a closer relationship with Ukraine. The reported discussion does not establish approval or deployment. Source
According to Digit’s account of OpenAI’s statement to The Intercept, the company began investigating the call’s authenticity weeks before the report appeared. OpenAI said it worked internally and with relevant authorities, concluded the meeting was a prank and took action to prevent similar incidents. Source
Digit says OpenAI did not disclose the specific preventative measures or the meeting’s exact date. Source
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