OpenAI's Super PAC Is Funding an AI-Generated News Site That Attacks Industry Critics

The anonymously operated AcutusWire has been publishing content targeting AI industry critics, and evidence has surfaced connecting it to Targeted Victory, the consulting firm running OpenAI's $125 million political operation.

Encode's chief legal officer Nathan Calvin received a written Q&A request about Tennessee AI legislation from a reporter named 'Michael Chen,' but no public record of this person's history or affiliation with Acutus could be found. The email was sent from a generic address, [email protected], and the AI content detection service Pangram classified the email as fully AI-generated.

AcutusWire launched on December 29, 2025, and has posted 94 articles covering topics ranging from AI policy and Senate elections to cryptocurrency regulation and nuclear power. However, it does not disclose its editorial staff, writers, or the entity operating it.

An analysis of the site's articles using Pangram found the following:

• 69%: classified as fully AI-generated
• 28%: classified as partially AI-generated
• 3 articles: classified as human-written

Acutus describes itself as an 'independent journalism platform with expert contributors,' but it appears that systems rather than people are actually producing the articles, raising the possibility that it has been used to approach or attack AI industry critics. The article's author stated they are investigating additional clues showing a connection between Acutus and Targeted Victory.