It sounds like dystopian fiction: a government hiring political operatives to teach artificial intelligence how to think. Yet, according to a recent Responsible Statecraft investigation, that’s exactly what the Israeli government is doing.
Documents obtained by the outlet reveal that Israel has contracted Clock Tower X LLC, a U.S. firm run by former Trump digital strategist Brad Parscale, to carry out a sweeping online influence campaign. The price tag? $6 million. The goal? To ensure that when the world talks — or chats — about Israel, the algorithm listens the “right” way.
A propaganda project disguised as PR
Clock Tower’s contract reportedly calls for “deploying websites and content to deliver GPT framing results on GPT conversations.” Translation: flood the internet with Israel-friendly material so that large language models like ChatGPT, trained on publicly available text, absorb and reproduce pro-Israel framing when users ask about Gaza, occupation, or human rights.
It’s part of “Project 545,” a broader effort by Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs to win back a disillusioned generation. Polls show support for Israel among young Americans has cratered. A Data for Progress survey in August 2025 found a strong majority of voters (71%) oppose the Israeli government blocking the delivery of food and medical supplies into Gaza, and more voters now believe Israel is committing genocide. For Tel Aviv’s digital strategists, that’s not a communications problem — it’s an existential one.
Israel isn’t the first state to see the opportunity. Russia has long weaponized bot farms and disinformation networks. China’s “50-cent army” floods social media with pro-Beijing talking points. But Israel’s move is new: a direct attempt to shape the epistemic core of a global AI ecosystem.
Clock Tower’s plan reportedly involves targeting Gen Z on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and podcasts — aiming for 50 million impressions a month — while simultaneously manipulating search engine algorithms using AI tools like MarketBrew. The line between propaganda and machine learning is dissolving fast.
This campaign may be legal. But it’s deeply corrosive. Generative AI is becoming the world’s default reference librarian — a seemingly neutral voice of reason that millions consult daily. If that voice is quietly trained to favor one side of a geopolitical conflict, what remains of truth?
It also raises uncomfortable legal questions. Under U.S. law, anyone working to influence American audiences on behalf of a foreign government must register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Whether Clock Tower’s activities fall under that umbrella remains unclear — and untested.
Source: Responsible Statecraft
Discover more from The New Palestine Post
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
