Trump accuses Iran of using AI to spread disinformation

SAN FRANCISCO, USA – US President Donald Trump on Sunday, March 15, accused Iran of using artificial intelligence as a “disinformation weapon” to misrepresent its wartime successes and support.

“AI can be very dangerous, we have to be very careful with it,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One shortly after making a post on his Truth Social platform where he accused Western media outlets, without evidence, of “close coordination” with Iran to spread AI-generated “fake news.”

The comments come amid renewed tensions between the Federal Communications Commission and broadcasters after Trump took aim at media coverage of the US and Israel’s war with Iran. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Saturday threatened to pull the licenses of broadcasters who did not “correct course” on their coverage.

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Trump has frequently accused news media outlets of lying when they run stories he sees as critical of him, and he has previously called for removing the licenses of broadcast outlets he views as unfair.

Between the social media post and his comments to journalists, Trump on Sunday cited three instances in which he claimed Iran used AI to mislead the public.

On Truth Social, he said that Iran had shown “kamikaze boats” that do not exist. He further stated that Iran used AI to falsely depict a successful attack on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, adding that publications that propagated the news should be charged with treason.

Reuters has verified images filmed from the Iraqi port of Basra that showed explosive-laden Iranian boats appearing to attack two fuel tankers, killing at least one crew member. Iranian state media did claim that Iran’s military struck the USS Abraham Lincoln, though the claim was not widely picked up by Western outlets.

Trump also claimed that images showing “250,000” Iranians at a rally supporting new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei were “totally AI generated” and that the event “never took place.”

Several pro-government demonstrations have occurred in Iran since the war began, but a brief search by Reuters did not find any Western reports citing a figure of 250,000. Many media organizations, including Reuters, have run news photos showing crowds in Tehran after Khamenei was named leader.

Trump did not clarify the specific news reports from Iran he was referencing. – Rappler.com