In brief
Following Israel's recent strikes on Iran, a wave of AI-generated disinformation has flooded social media, leading to the spread of fake military claims and images. Both pro-Iran and pro-Israeli accounts are implicated in this disinformation surge, which includes misleading footage and exaggerated assertions about Iran's military capabilities.
In the wake of Israel's military strikes on Iran, an alarming spike in AI-generated disinformation has permeated social media platforms. Following the strikes on June 13, online content amplifying Tehran's responses has amassed significant viewership, with some fake videos achieving over 100 million views, as found by BBC Verify.AI-produced videos promoting Iran's military prowess and distorting the aftermath of the strikes have gained traction across platforms. Additionally, pro-Israeli accounts have circulated misinformation, repurposing old footage of protests in Iran while misrepresenting public sentiment against the government as support for Israel’s military actions. An organization specializing in open-source analysis dubbed the volume of disinformation "astounding." They noted that opportunistic users, often referred to as "engagement farmers," are benefiting financially from disseminating misleading content meant to attract attention. The group, Geoconfirmed, reported the distribution of unrelated clips from various locations, including recycled videos from previous conflicts and AI-generated images, as a disturbing trend that claims dozens of missile strikes on Israeli cities.Some disinformation accounts, without clear connections to Tehran, have seen dramatic growth in followers, prompting experts to label them "super-spreaders." For instance, the account Daily Iran Military ballooned from 700,000 to 1.4 million followers within a week, reflecting a 85% increase. These accounts often use official-sounding names to establish credibility, causing confusion among social media users.Highlighting the unprecedented scale of AI misuse in conflicts, Emmanuelle Saliba, Chief Investigative Officer with Get Real, indicated that the technology's deployment is revealing concerning patterns in public perception management. Recently, social media users frequently encountered AI-generated images showcasing missile strikes, though many established signs of manipulation remained unnoticed by the general public.Claims about the destruction of Israel’s F-35 fighter jets have been prevalent, with videos purportedly showing the aircraft either downed or damaged. However, most of these claims lack verification. One video claiming to show an Israeli F-35 downed was later identified as footage from a flight simulator game and subsequently removed by TikTok after intervention by BBC Verify.Disinformation on social media is not only propagated by obscure accounts but also by well-known profiles that have addressed various conflicts in the past. Motivations range from personal profit from viewership to mere misinformation in support of specific narratives. While pro-Iran narratives focus on the popularity of dissent against the Iranian government, others showcase AI-generated images of military hardware, such as B-2 bombers, in the wake of rising tensions.In response to this complex situation, major platforms have faced scrutiny regarding their role in curbing false narratives. TikTok claimed to uphold community guidelines, while Instagram's parent company Meta did not comment. Researchers emphasize that sensational content, particularly that aligning with political identities, spreads rapidly during times of conflict due to emotional responses and the polarized nature of discourse online.
