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Israel Spent $100,000 to Shape ChatGPT Answers on Gaza, Report Says — AI-generated representative image. A laptop screen showing an artificial intelligence chat interface, illustrating reports of efforts to influence AI answers.

Editorial Team

A FARA-linked campaign through Havas Media reportedly aimed to influence how AI platforms describe the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Israel has spent tens of millions of dollars to improve its image in the United States, including a reported $100,000 campaign intended to influence how artificial intelligence platforms such as ChatGPT answer questions about Gaza and the Israel-Hamas war, according to a Politico investigation published Friday.

The effort centered on the Hanover Institute for Public Policy, a website publishing anonymous reports on anti-Semitism and geopolitical issues, and was arranged through French public relations firm Havas Media on behalf of the Israel Government Advertising Agency (LaPam).

The reported campaign matters because it reflects a broader push to shape public opinion through emerging AI technology at a time when US attitudes toward Israel have sharply declined. According to a June Pew Research Center poll, six in ten US adults now view Israel somewhat or very unfavorably, up from 53% in the previous year and 42% in 2022.

The disclosure also raises questions about transparency in how foreign governments may attempt to influence the information that AI assistants provide to everyday users.

Reported Campaign Details

Politico detailed the campaign using documents filed with the US Justice Department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The filings linked more than a dozen Hanover Institute articles to a public relations effort involving "the creation and dissemination of factual, source-supported informational materials" intended to "educate" the US public about Israel.

The website hosts multiple unattributed reports framed as questions, including "Is Torture of Palestinian Prisoners a War Crime?" and "Who Is the Aggressor in the Israel-Palestine Conflict?" Politico said the format suggests the material was designed to be picked up and cited by large language models. The outlet also reported that technical markers linked the website to Res, a Seattle-based AI startup that helps clients get recommended by AI models, a connection confirmed by Res CEO Hai Tran in an email.

Wider Influence Efforts and Declining Support

The reported campaign is not Israel's first Havas-linked effort to sway US public opinion. According to a Wall Street Journal investigation published last month, the firm previously hired Brad Parscale, former campaign manager for US President Donald Trump, for a $46.5 million campaign that included pro-Israel AI-generated messages targeting Americans, as well as websites and posts designed to generate more favorable responses from AI platforms. Last fall, Responsible Statecraft reported that Havas Media also managed an "Influencer Campaign" that paid $900,000 for producing Israel-friendly content.

US public attitudes toward Israel have deteriorated in recent years, first over its response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and more recently over the US-Israeli war on Iran and its cost to taxpayers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is viewed even less favorably, with 65% of US adults expressing little or no confidence in his policies.

Evidence and AI Citations

While Piro Inc, the ad agency subcontractor, did not explicitly identify influencing large language models as a goal in its FARA filings, Politico reported that both ChatGPT and Perplexity cited Hanover Institute material in response to neutral queries about Gaza and Israel.

Frustration with Israel has also extended into the US Congress. Last month, more than 100 House Democrats backed an amendment that would have cut $3.3 billion in US aid to Israel. The measure failed due to Republican opposition but highlighted a growing partisan divide: just over two years ago, only 37 House Democrats backed a similar effort.

Current Status and Next Steps

The Hanover Institute describes its work as "documentary, not declarative" and maintains that its research is purely academic. No official statement from the Israeli government or Havas Media confirming the intent to influence AI platforms has been reported, and it remains unclear whether any regulatory review will follow the disclosure in the FARA filings.

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