On this day in 2019, Donald Trump admitted to speaking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son. Trump’s hunt for political dirt would result in the first of two impeachments – and acquittals.
Good morning, friends. Prem here, with a very timely cross-section of news. While the pro-Israel lobby’s influence has been on full display across U.S. current events (for example, in the Ellisons’ takeover of the media, in Robert Kraft censoring Macklemore, and in the NFL targeting a player for wearing the names of murdered Palestinian kids), artificial intelligence has also been commanding headlines. Today, we bring to you the latest chapter in an accelerating campaign: websites paid for by Israel, seemingly seeking to influence chatbots to give pro-Israel answers.
We’ll also check in on that Ellison takeover and aghast responses from free speech advocates as well as CNN and CBS staffers who spoke to Zeteo’s own Justin Baragona, and consider the unsavory company kept by Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers as he challenges Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in a key battleground race. There’s plenty more news too, so let’s dive in.
AI - Emphasis on the ‘I’
Israel is paying for a new website in its ongoing effort to apparently influence AI chatbots so they spit out pro-Israel answers.
Foreign agent filings show that as part of a $1 million effort, the Israeli government has propped up the website “IsraelFact.com.” The site is the latest in a constellation of propaganda and influence campaigns that have cropped up in recent months.
Over the past month, “IsraelFact” has been churning out content sometimes multiple times per day, each article’s headline phrased as a question. The topics range from “What Does Israel’s Ceasefire Decision Say About Its Forces in Gaza?” and “How Many Moslems Live in Israel?” to “Is It Legal for Settlers to Take Palestinian Land Under Israeli Law?” and “Can Uncultivated Palestinian Farmland Be Expropriated?”
The website includes this disclaimer: “Israel pays for this site. We are registered as a foreign agent in the United States.”
The website has published 119 articles in a month. The articles largely frame content in such a way that could propel chatbot answers to provide either a pro-Israel narrative or minimize counter-narratives.
The site’s mission is laid out quite plainly.