Meet the AI propagandist: tireless, hyper-realistic, built for virality—and already racking up millions of views.
AI isn’t just rewriting how we work—it’s rewriting what we believe. From missile strikes that never happened to warzone footage rendered by algorithms, generative AI is no longer just a creative tool. It’s a content machine capable of shaping perception at scale, and it’s already changing the internet’s most viral stories. This isn’t tomorrow’s problem. It’s now. And it’s accelerating.
Disinformation That is Automated
The anatomy of a fake has changed. What used to take a production team and Photoshop now takes one prompt and 20 seconds. Fake videos, fake quotes, and fake crowd scenes aren’t just possible—they’re trending.
AI-generated disinformation is showing up everywhere:
- Fabricated footage of missile strikes
- Hyper-realistic images of destroyed military jets
- Crowd scenes with manipulated chants
- Game footage passed off as real warzones
Some of it fools even seasoned observers. Much of it goes viral before platforms can react. And in many cases, it’s not even malicious actors doing the spreading—just regular users who click, share, and scroll.
What’s Actually Happening
AI-generated disinformation isn’t rare anymore. It’s routine. During recent global conflicts, researchers tracked fake videos that racked up over 100 million views in just a few days. Many were generated using publicly available tools. Others were recycled footage from unrelated events, retitled and enhanced by AI to feel fresh and credible.
In the past few weeks, for example, a wave of fake Iran-related news has surged across platforms—AI-generated images and videos falsely claimed to show missile strikes, downed Israeli jets, and anti-government protests in Tehran. Most of these clips were either entirely fabricated or lifted from old, unrelated footage.
Entire accounts now exist to push this content—some doubling their follower counts in under a week. These aren’t bots spamming your feed. They’re verified accounts with slick branding, consistent posting, and massive reach.
Often, these posts aren’t even trying to convince. They’re just trying to engage. And in the world of algorithmic feeds, attention equals amplification.
What It Gets Wrong (and Right)
Generative AI doesn’t understand truth—it understands pattern. So while it can generate photorealistic missile trails, it won’t notice if shadows fall the wrong way or if every civilian in the scene has the same exact face.
But here’s what it can do:
- Generate fake explosions at scale
- Create “news-style” captions and overlays
- Blend real audio with synthetic video
- Evade basic platform detection tools
And while platforms work to flag or remove this content, AI is moving faster. Sometimes even AI-powered fact-checkers misidentify fakes as real—because, in a sense, the content looks too good.
We’re not facing sloppy Photoshop jobs anymore. We’re facing manufactured realities.
Try This: Spot the Fake Before You Share
Before you repost that jaw-dropping video, ask yourself:
- Does the source have a history of credible reporting?
- Can the footage be traced to an original, verified account?
- Do any objects look oddly smooth, warped, or repeated?
- Are crowds, hands, or faces strangely symmetrical?
- Is it night footage with oddly uniform lighting or motion?
Better yet—drop the link into a visual fact-checking tool or ask a trusted verification bot. And if you’re using AI yourself, train it to detect, not just generate.
Disinformation thrives on speed. Truth needs friction.
The Signal
AI isn’t just shaping headlines. It’s shaping attention. And in a feed-first world, perception is reality—at least for a few million views.
That means every organization, every educator, every platform, and every user needs a new layer of digital literacy. The bar has moved. Seeing isn’t believing anymore.
Generative AI isn’t the villain. But it’s now part of the system. And if you’re not guiding it, verifying it, or challenging it—you’re likely amplifying it.
The AI propagandist doesn’t care about your side. It just wants your share.
Final Thoughts
We used to worry about whether information was biased.
Now, we have to ask if it’s even real.
Generative AI didn’t just change how we create—it changed how we deceive. And in this new era, your best defense isn’t a better algorithm. It’s better awareness.
Because in the age of deepfakes, the most dangerous thing you can do… is scroll without thinking.
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