Experts Worried About Growing Disinformation Regarding Israel-Hamas Conflict—Is AI to Blame?

In the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the digital landscape has become a breeding ground for misinformation and controversy, creating a challenging environment for experts investigating the spread of misleading content.

Since artificial intelligence (AI) is said to have a huge role in perpetuating fake images on the internet, its ability to disrupt the authenticity of the information about the war is becoming more problematic.

Disinformation Amplifies Chaos Amid Israel-Hamas War

Pooja Chaudhuri from Bellingcat highlights the unprecedented clutter of information on Twitter, exacerbated by the platform's verification process.

Sorting through the chaos, Bellingcat worked to verify and debunk claims from both sides, facing challenges due to deeply entrenched views on the conflict.

Eliot Higgins, Bellingcat's founder, notes the difficulty in convincing people of the truth due to firmly rooted perspectives. The clash of narratives makes it challenging to dispel misinformation effectively.

"People are thinking in terms of, 'Whose side are you on?' rather than 'What's real. And if you're saying something that doesn't agree with my side, then it has to mean you're on the other side. That makes it very difficult to be involved in the discourse around this stuff, because it's so divided," Higgins said.

Speaking of Twitter, which is now X, it's clear that the fake news about the Israel-Hamas conflict were made to misdirect users about the real scenario.

The flood of misleading reports, pictures, and videos is getting worse. One researcher claimed that he considered the crisis as the "hardest time" he encountered on X.

Center for Countering Digital Hate's Perspective

Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), compares the current information ecosystem to the challenges faced during the 2020 U.S. presidential election and the COVID-19 pandemic. He emphasizes the chaotic nature of social media, once a source of reliable information, and underscores the failure of regulators to address the issue.

Ahmed contends that regulatory inertia has allowed antisemitic conspiracy theories to thrive online, contributing to the chaos. The CCDH's struggle to monitor and analyze disinformation is hindered by the lack of transparency legislation and restricted access to social media platforms' APIs, per Fast Company.

Global Impact and Inability to Gauge Spread

As governments and advertisers seek clarity on social media dynamics, Ahmed highlights the difficulty of conducting research on platforms without transparency legislation. The deeply divided viewpoints, coupled with technological advances like AI-generated content, further complicate efforts to gauge the spread of disinformation.

Weaponizing AI Claims

Chaudhuri points out the problematic use of AI-generated images, which can be weaponized to discredit genuine content. Users, by claiming authentic content as AI-generated, add another layer of complexity to an already convoluted information landscape.

Amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, social media's role in disseminating and distorting information indicates the urgent need for regulatory action and transparency measures to restore credibility to these platforms.