Lots of AI disinformation surrounding Israel-Iran conflict
Since Israel began bombing Iran, the Internet has been awash with misinformation. Some of this is driven by AI. A BBC analysis shows that both pro-Iran and pro-Israel accounts are guilty of spreading misinformation.
Editorial PONT | Data & Privacy June 23, 2025
Sites such as the BBC and
France 24 report that more and more AI-generated videos and photos are surfacing around the escalating conflict. Pro-Iranian accounts are sharing images taken with AI, showing Israeli F-35s being destroyed or rockets hitting Tel Aviv. Pro-Israeli accounts spread an AI-manipulated video showing Iranians on the streets of Tehran chanting, "We love Israel.
Even official channels of both governments are guilty of this. State media in Iran shared AI-generated images of an F-35 being shot down, and the IDF shared on X a post about missile attacks that had nothing to do with the current conflict.
Much of the disinformation is spread on X, where users can ask if the platform's AI, Grok, can verify videos for authenticity. However, investigations by the BBC have shown that on several occasions the AI judged AI-generated videos to be genuine.
