Israel allegedly uses AI and algorithms in digital propaganda campaign against Gaza criticism
Reportedly leaked documents allege that the Israeli Government contracted with US-based Clock Tower X for a 6 million dollar digital propaganda campaign using AI and social media algorithms to suppress global criticism of military operations in Gaza. The plan allegedly aims to manipulate search engines, social media platforms and AI model training data to control narratives about civilian casualties and prevent access to critical information.
What happened
According to leaked documents reported by Responsible Statecraft, the Israeli Government signed a 6 million dollar agreement with Clock Tower X, a US-based company with ties to conservative circles, to conduct a digital propaganda campaign.
The plan reportedly aims to suppress global criticism of Israeli military operations in Gaza by systematically targeting social media platforms, search engines and AI models to manage global perception and control the narrative around civilian deaths and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The campaign targets TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and podcasts with a goal of at least 50 million monthly views, with at least 80 percent of content specifically targeting Generation Z.
Reported impact
The campaign allegedly aims to create a 'digital shadow' that would prevent users from accessing real information about Gaza.
The documents reportedly describe plans to influence how ChatGPT responds to user queries by filling the internet sources that train the model with Israel-favorable narratives, so that regardless of what users ask, the AI would produce context favourable to Israel.
Index analysis
The alleged use of AI systems and search engine manipulation tools like MarketBrew AI to alter information access and control narrative framing raises concerns about information integrity and the manipulation of AI training data.
The campaign reportedly targets younger audiences through social media platforms and aims to systematically suppress criticism of military operations rather than engage with substantive public debate.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.