Zürcher Nachrichten - AI-created Iran protest videos gain traction

US disinformation watchdog NewsGuard said it identified seven AI-generated videos depicting the Iranian protests -- created by both pro- and anti-government actors -- that have collectively amassed some 3.5 million views across online platforms.

Among them was a video shared on the Elon Musk-owned platform X showing women protesters smashing a vehicle belonging to the Basij, the Iranian paramilitary force deployed to suppress the protests.

One X post featuring the AI clip, shared by what NewsGuard described as anti-regime users, garnered nearly 720,000 views.

Anti-regime X and TikTok users in the United States also posted AI videos depicting Iranian protesters symbolically renaming local streets after President Donald Trump.

One such clip shows a protester changing a street sign to "Trump St" while other demonstrators cheer, with an overlaid caption reading: "Iranian protestors are renaming the streets after Trump."

Trump had repeatedly talked in recent days about coming to the aid of the Iranian people over the crackdown on protests that rights groups say has left at least 3,428 people dead.

Trump said Wednesday he had been told the killings of protesters in Iran had been halted, but added that he would "watch it and see" about threatened military action.

Pro-regime social media users also shared AI videos purportedly showing large-scale pro-government counterprotests throughout the Islamic republic.

The AI creations highlight the growing prevalence of what experts call "hallucinated" visual content on social media during major news events, often overshadowing authentic images and videos.

In this case, AI creators were filling an information void caused by the internet blackout imposed by the Iranian regime as it sought to suppress demonstrations, experts said.

"There's a lot of news -- but no way to get it because of the internet blackout," said NewsGuard analyst Ines Chomnalez.

"Foreign social media users are turning to AI video generators to advance their own narratives about the unfolding chaos."

The fabricated videos were the latest example of AI tools being deployed to distort fast-developing breaking news.

AI fabrications, often amplified by partisan actors, have fueled alternate realities around recent news events, including the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and a deadly shooting by immigration agents in Minneapolis.

AFP fact-checkers also uncovered misrepresented images that created misleading narratives about the Iranian protests, the largest since the Islamic Republic was proclaimed in 1979.

One months-old video purportedly showing demonstrations in Iran was actually filmed in Greece in November 2025, while another claiming to depict a protester tearing down an Iranian flag was filmed in Nepal during last year's protests that toppled the Himalayan nation's government.

I.Widmer--NZN