Trolling, memes, and deepfakes: How AI is thickening the fog of war

"In the digital age, where war is also filmed, edited and promoted online, the fog is getting thicker, and wars are becoming more difficult to cover. The conflict between the United States and Iran makes this point clearer than ever. As images, videos, and narratives flood social media, it is now becoming even harder to tell what's real and what's not, with both the rise of AI and the changes in digital platforms reshaping how war is seen and understood."

"In 2026, AI-generated content has surged across social media, both in volume and visibility. Fake drone footage, fabricated satellite images, edited clips, and synthetic statements are spreading widely, often reaching millions of viewers. In earlier conflicts, such as the early Israel-Hamas war, misinformation still relied more on recycled or miscaptioned real footage. Now, even official accounts are openly sharing false content."

"The U.S. and Iran are waging a parallel struggle over narrative, image, and public perception online. In doing so, both camps have adopted a distinctive style of communication that speaks fluently the language of the internet: trolling. What might once have been dismissed as online provocation has increasingly become part of the grammar of geopolitical messaging, where irony, mockery, and spectacle are used to project"

War involves uncertainty and confusion that affects battlefield decisions. Modern conflicts are also filmed, edited, and promoted online, which makes verification more difficult. The U.S.-Iran conflict shows how social media floods audiences with images, videos, and narratives, while AI and platform changes reshape how events are understood. Generative AI has become a major factor in information warfare, with AI-generated content surging in volume and visibility. Fake drone footage, fabricated satellite images, edited clips, and synthetic statements spread widely and can reach millions. Earlier misinformation often relied on miscaptioned or recycled real footage, but now even official accounts share false content. Both sides also compete for narrative and perception using internet-native tactics such as trolling and spectacle.

Read at Nieman Lab