Israel versus Hamas: the first war with AI and Cristiano Ronaldo

The bloody and always catastrophic war has many media milestones: World War II was broadcast entirely on radio around the world, the so-called Gulf War in Iraq was the first to be broadcast live on television, for example, lasting endless hours. chains CNN livethe most recent of Russia and Ukraine caught us on the rise of social media and disinformation as a tool of manipulation, while this latest conflict between Israel vs Hamas has taken hold in the era of artificial intelligence, with all the dangers that entails.

But what does it mean that what is happening in the Gaza Strip is surrounded by the development of artificial intelligence?: What this, combined with the capabilities of dissemination through social networks and messaging services, has amplified outright false information created by programs such as Dall -E or ChatGPT to create propaganda.

And in this equation, one of the most obvious examples is the figure of the famous Portuguese football star. Cristiano Ronaldo. Starting today, Saudi Al-Nasr Party striker has appeared in viral videos on X and other platforms, allegedly supporting Hamas and the Palestinian cause.

Israel vs. Hamas: Cristiano Ronaldo’s dangerous manipulation

These days, posts are circulating on X that allegedly show Cristiano Ronaldo holding a Palestinian flag.

However, everything is absolutely wrong. The pixelated image is of the Pakistan international and not the former Real Madrid striker.

And this is not the only source of disinformation associated with the figure of Kr7, as other publications indicate that he supports the Palestinian cause.

And he’s not the only footballer or celebrity who has been manipulated to gain support in the conflict:

AI generates fake images of war

But it wasn’t just celebrity manipulation and false reports that gave birth to the Internet with the war between Israel and Hamas, as AI also did its part.

An alleged Hamas attack in Israel that is actually part of the video game Arma 3 has been confirmed as true.

By the time the fake was discovered, the video already had more than 1.7 million views on TikTok.

Already in May 2023, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), in its annual report on the situation in the sector for 2023, notes that manipulation tools used by governments affect 118 countries out of 180 analyzed, for example due to the misuse of AI.

Artificial intelligence has “shaken the fragile world of media as the distinction between truth and falsehood, real and artificial, facts and artifacts is blurred, threatening the right to information,” the report says.

The analysis is highly critical in this regard and emphasizes that “unprecedented tools of manipulation are being used to weaken those engaged in quality journalism, and at the same time they weaken journalism itself.”

Disinformation industry “spreads manipulative production on a large scale” and artificial intelligence “digests information content to give rise to synthesis that ignores rigor and reliability.”