In the recent war with Iran, both the United States and the Iranian governments have released propaganda on social media, often using AI or movie clips to generate support from their respective populations. What does this reveal about the changing face of warfare? How does this propaganda differ from that of historical wars?
The first main piece of propaganda during the war was an AI generated LEGO-style video depicting Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump looking at the Epstein Files, implying that the Epstein files prompted the attack on Iran. The video follows a man who, after the loss of his daughter due to U.S. missiles, goes on to attack embassies around the Middle East. Released by internet pseudonyms “Akhbar Enfejari” and “Explosive News,” the Iranian team has made AI content since about a year before the war started. These videos were shared by the Tasnim News Agency that has ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. Some believe the team to be part of the Iranian government, but in a statement members claimed to be an independent group of students.
Following this, the American Department of Defense has released many videos involving movie clips and even using clips from “The Office” as secretary of defense Pete Hegseth explains that the U.S. involvement is “not an endless war” to try and sell “Operation Epic Fury” to the public.
When Trump, in a post on social media, stated that the “whole civilization [of Iran would] die tonight, never to be brought back again”, Pope Leo spoke out against him. The pontiff stated that the world had had “enough of the idolatry of self and money”.
Seemingly in response, Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself depicted as Jesus, in direct confrontation with traditional Christian church doctrine. Within a few hours, the post was taken down. The image did not directly address Iran, but the religious connotations of “Epic Fury” and the AI propaganda from both sides seem blasphemous.
Whatever one’s political opinions, the combination of religious imagery, artificial intelligence, and callousness toward the actual victims of war distort the facts of the situation. Artificial intelligence cannot have empathy, and religious propaganda and idolatry serves no one but those in power.
Article by Emmett Coughlan