$5,000 for One TikTok Video, OpenAI-Linked Dark Money Group Hires Influencers to Peddle “China AI Threat”

According to SensePost Beating monitoring, an investigation by WIRED has found that the non-profit organization Build American AI is systematically paying social media influencers through the influencer marketing agency SM4 to spread the message of "Chinese AI Threatening America" on TikTok and Instagram. Build American AI is a dark money affiliate organization (501(c)(4) that does not have to disclose its donors) of the super PAC Leading the Future, which has received funding from Greg Brockman, co-founder and president of OpenAI, Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of Palantir, venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, and AI company Perplexity.

The operation is divided into two phases. In the first phase, lifestyle influencers were recruited to promote the benefits of American AI in a general manner. Several parenting and family bloggers with hundreds of thousands of followers have posted content, labeled as "advertisement," without disclosing the specific sponsor. The second phase shifted to the China narrative, with SM4 offering creators $5,000 per TikTok video to organically integrate the message of "China stealing American data and jobs" into their daily content (e.g., making breakfast for their children). Example scripts provided by Build American AI stated, "China is working hard to beat America in AI. If they win, China will get access to my and my child's personal data and will take away jobs that should belong to America."

The campaign operates along political lines: SM4 is responsible for recruiting left-leaning creators, while another partner agency handles right-leaning creators. Internal briefing documents reveal plans to expand from female lifestyle bloggers to left-wing political commentators, business/tech leaders, and male lifestyle bloggers. WIRED journalist Taylor Lorenz only learned about the details of the operation after being invited by SM4, and multiple invited creators later confirmed this operation.

Leading the Future claims to have raised $140 million in donations and commitments, with $51 million available as of April. FEC filings show that the Brockman couple each donated $12.5 million, and Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz each donated $12.5 million. OpenAI stated that the company has no affiliation with Leading the Future or Build American AI and has not provided any funding or support. Palantir also stated that they have not contributed.

Jamie Cohen, Associate Professor of Media Studies at Queen's College, told WIRED that influencers accepting undisclosed funds and promoting specific company information in a way that the public is unaware of is "extremely corrosive to democracy" and "this is propaganda."