AI-made propaganda spreads widely on social media during Iran war

In short: During the 2026 US and Israel conflict with Iran, coordinated campaigns are using AI-made posts, images, and videos to spread false war narratives at massive scale.

What's going on

Since the US and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026, researchers and monitoring groups have reported a sharp rise in propaganda and disinformation on major social apps.

One Israeli social media intelligence company said it found more than 37,000 pieces of content pushing pro-Iran narratives in the first week of the conflict. It said those posts received over 145 million views and 9.4 million engagements across X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. It also estimated that about 19 percent of the accounts boosting Iran-aligned content were fake profiles.

The company said the campaign looked centrally coordinated. It reported many posts repeating the same messages across platforms, posted in timed “bursts,” and using the same hashtag clusters such as #standwithiran and #israelterroriststate.

A major part of the effort involves AI-generated media. This includes deepfakes, which are fake images or videos made to look real (like a convincing movie prop). Examples described in reports include fabricated scenes of missile and drone attacks that never happened, old footage reused with new captions, and AI-made videos claiming US bases were destroyed. The BBC verified deepfake imagery of explosions at a US base in Iraq, and false claims about the death of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spread, including through Iranian state media.

What to watch

Social platforms may face growing pressure to label or remove AI-made war content faster, especially when bots (automated accounts that post like humans) help it spread. Another risk is chatbots on platforms repeating false claims confidently, which can make rumors feel like facts. Inside Iran, an internet blackout can make it harder for people to check information elsewhere, which can increase the impact of misleading posts.

Source: NYTimes