Iran and China Unleash AI-Powered Bot Armies on Social Media, Israeli Media Warns
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, an Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, citing US intelligence and security officials, has warned of an unprecedented and dangerous surge in cyber warfare. The report claims that countries like Iran and China have begun conducting fully automated operations using artificial intelligence on social media platforms.
The report alleges that these ‘robotic armies’ are of a completely new kind, requiring no human intervention. They autonomously create fake user accounts, generate content, interact with users, and fuel public debates on platforms such as X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok with minimal human oversight.
These claims, first published by The New York Times, have raised concerns in Washington. Israeli media outlets have expressed worries that this new technology could be widely used to influence American public opinion ahead of the midterm presidential and parliamentary elections in November.
The report indicates that while foreign cyber operations previously required extensive teams of human agents to write text and manage accounts, the combination of AI models with AI agents now enables influence operations on an unprecedented scale with minimal effort.
According to the report, operators of these influence campaigns have utilized powerful open-source Chinese AI models. These models are available for download and modification by anyone, representing a fundamental difference from the ‘closed’ systems of American companies.
Removal of Safety Mechanisms
The Hebrew-language newspaper stated that the operators of these models have deployed them after purging them of built-in safety mechanisms designed to prevent the creation or manipulation of fake profiles, and have connected them to ‘AI agents.’ These agents are described as independent programs capable of manipulating applications, opening accounts on networks, and performing complex tasks autonomously. These programs create networks comprising thousands of fake profiles, continuously feeding them with posts on political and current issues.
Similar technology is reportedly being employed in the media warfare of the Israeli regime. Activities of the Israeli company ‘Intelia’ earlier this year revealed its use of AI software based on the Chinese model ‘DeepSeek’ to control thousands of social media accounts.
These fake accounts engaged with videos and posts on social media, attempting to connect with users and disseminate diverse content.
US officials have characterized Iran’s campaign as ‘highly concerning and dangerous.’ According to US intelligence agencies, Iran is using the exact same technology to flood the internet with a network of fake accounts operating under the identities of ordinary American citizens residing in major US cities.
