US President Donald Trump accused Iran of using artificial intelligence technology to fabricate false information about military successes and popular support. He also suggested that some media outlets might be coordinating to disseminate AI-generated news amid escalating war tensions and disputes over news coverage.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, President Donald Trump said Iran is using artificial intelligence, or AI, as a "weapon to spread false information" to distort the image of their successes and support during the ongoing war.
"AI is very dangerous. We must be very careful with it," Trump said. Earlier, he posted on the Truth Social platform, without providing evidence, that some Western media organizations are closely coordinating with Iran to spread "fake news" created by AI.
Trump cited three key examples he believes involve AI technology used to distort the truth, including the so-called kamikaze destroyer ship case. He claimed that the ship images presented by Iran do not actually exist. However, Reuters' investigation found video footage from Basra port in Iraq showing an Iranian explosive-laden ship attacking an oil tanker, resulting in fatalities.
Regarding the attack on the US aircraft carrier, Trump accused Iran of using AI to fabricate images of the USS Abraham Lincoln attack to make it appear successful. He insisted that media outlets amplifying this story should be charged with "treason."
Concerning footage of a rally supporting the new leader, Trump claimed that images showing over 250,000 Iranians gathering to support Mojtaba Khamenei, the new Supreme Leader, were entirely AI-generated and that this event never actually occurred. While crowd images from Tehran have appeared in various news sources, no major Western media have reported the figure of 250,000 people as Trump asserted.
This issue has heightened tensions between governments and the media. Last Saturday, Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), threatened to revoke licenses of television stations that refuse to "improve their guidelines" on reporting the war between the US, Israel, and Iran.
Trump has frequently attacked media outlets that criticize him as liars and has repeatedly called for revoking licenses of media he deems unfair.
Although Iranian state media claim multiple military victories, including the USS Abraham Lincoln incident, most Western media have not presented these claims as verified facts, contradicting Trump's allegation that Western media cooperates with Iran.
. Reuters