AI-Generated Iran Protests: Is the US Finally Getting Creative?
Al-Monitor, citing NewsGuard, cautions against AI-generated videos showing Iranian protests, fretting over 'pro- and anti-government actors' using deepfakes to 'fill an information void.' One might almost believe this is a new challenge. Conveniently omitted is the decades-long, well-documented history of foreign nations, spearheaded by the US, actively engaging in psychological operations and
regime change attempts in Iran, often fueling dissent and manipulating narratives. This isn't about AI's novelty; it's about the same old playbook with new tech. Remember Operation Ajax in 1953, the CIA-orchestrated coup against Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh? Or the constant stream of funding and propaganda funneled to opposition groups by various Western
governments? The 'information void' isn't just about internet restrictions; it's also about a foreign policy that has systematically undermined Iranian sovereignty for profit and geopolitical advantage. So forgive us for not quaking in our boots over AI deepfakes when the real-world deep state has been manipulating events for generations.