The recent conflict between Iran and Israel has been significantly clouded by a surge of misinformation, largely amplified by advanced technological tools. AI-generated deepfakes, repurposed video game footage, and chatbot-produced falsehoods have distorted public perception, creating a challenging information environment where truth is often indistinguishable from fabrication.
The Digital Battlefield: AI and Misinformation
The ongoing information warfare, running parallel to the ground conflict, highlights a critical digital crisis. The rapid advancement of AI tools has blurred the lines between authentic and fabricated content, making it increasingly difficult for the public to discern truth. Experts are calling for stronger detection tools and greater platform accountability as major tech companies have scaled back content moderation and reduced reliance on human fact-checkers.
AI-generated videos falsely depicting damage in Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport were widely shared after Iran's missile strikes.
These videos were traced back to a TikTok account known for producing AI-generated content.
BitMindAI founder Ken Jon Miyachi noted a "surge in generative AI misinformation" specifically targeting the Iran-Israel conflict, used to "manipulate public perception."
Photo-Realism and Fabricated Content
US company GetReal Security, specialising in detecting manipulated media, identified numerous fabricated videos related to the conflict. These visually compelling videos, showing apocalyptic scenes of war-damaged Israeli aircraft and buildings, and Iranian missiles, were linked to Google's Veo 3 AI generator, known for its hyper-realistic visuals. The Veo watermark was even visible on some videos posted by news outlets.
Hany Farid, co-founder of GetReal Security and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, stated, "It is no surprise that as generative-AI tools continue to improve in photo-realism, they are being misused to spread misinformation and sow confusion." He advised that Veo 3 videos are typically eight seconds long, a detail that should prompt users to pause and fact-check before resharing.
Beyond Social Media: Widespread Falsehoods
The spread of falsehoods extends beyond social media platforms. Disinformation watchdog NewsGuard identified 51 websites that promoted over a dozen false claims, including AI-generated photos of mass destruction in Tel Aviv and fabricated reports of Iran capturing Israeli pilots. These narratives were spread by Iranian military-linked Telegram channels and state media sources affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), which is sanctioned by the US Treasury Department.
McKenzie Sadeghi, a researcher with NewsGuard, described ordinary Iranians as the primary target audience, "trapped in a sealed information environment" where state media attempts to "control the narrative." Iran itself claimed to be a victim of tech manipulation, with reports of Israel briefly hacking a state television broadcast to air footage of women's protests.
The Role of Video Games and Chatbots
Adding to the information chaos were online clips lifted from war-themed video games. AFP's fact-checkers found a clip on X falsely claiming to show an Israeli jet shot down by Iran, which bore striking similarities to the military simulation game Arma 3. Israel's military has dismissed such reports as "fake news."
Even chatbots, like xAI's Grok, which users increasingly turn to for instant fact-checking, falsely identified some manipulated visuals as real. BitMindAI's Miyachi concluded that this situation highlights a "broader crisis in today's online information landscape: the erosion of trust in digital content," emphasising the urgent need for improved detection tools, media literacy, and platform accountability.
