$45 million for AI text messages: Inside Israel’s push to shape US opinion
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$45 million for AI text messages: Inside Israel’s push to shape US opinion
WSJ investigation reveals new details of Israel's influence campaign to improve its image among US voters; it funded AI-generated texts, conservative media buys and influencer outreach, even approaching actor Chris Pratt and basketball star Steph Curry
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Millions of text messages were sent in recent months to the cellphones of U.S. citizens under the names Emma, Sarah or John, who identified themselves as members of a group called “Friends for Peace.”
“How do you think the U.S.-Israel peace talks with Iran will affect global security?” they ask. A Wall Street Journal investigation revealed that the messages are written using artificial intelligence, promoted by a longtime adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump and funded by the Israeli government.
Gallery
Israel spent tens of millions of dollars to inluence public opinion in the US<br>(Photo: Shutterstock)
In an investigation published this week by Time magazine, it was revealed that Israel paid about $1.5 million a month to Brad Parscale, who ran Trump’s digital campaign in 2016, as part of an effort to influence American public opinion, especially young conservatives and MAGA supporters. The Journal now reports that the government-funded contract is worth more than $45 million.
The report noted that about 60% of American adults now have a negative view of Israel, according to a Pew Research Center survey, against the backdrop of the wars in Gaza and Iran. As a result, Israel is pouring tens of millions of dollars into an effort described as “quixotic” — naive and unrealistic — to overcome that wave, relying on AI-driven strategies and direct payments to conservative media.
Six companies and dozens of agents: 'Integrating narrative messages'
Israel has hired at least six companies over the past year to assist in its public influence efforts in the United States. Dozens of people, many of them marketing professionals, have registered as foreign agents for Israel.
According to Nick Cleveland-Stout, a foreign influence researcher at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, Israel is on track to spend more than any other country on American influence efforts known to the federal government. He noted that other countries, such as Qatar, have spent large sums over the years on influence campaigns.
Brad Parscale is chief strategy officer at Salem Media, a company that hosts popular conservative podcasters and broadcasters<br>(Photo: AP)
Parscale’s work has drawn scrutiny because of his role as chief strategy officer at Salem Media, a company that hosts popular conservative podcasters and broadcasters, including Hugh Hewitt, Scott Jennings and Lara Trump. According to the Journal investigation, his initial contract with Israel included “integrating narrative messages into Salem Media assets and aligned distribution channels.”
Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist and a prominent podcaster himself, asked: “How is the second-largest conservative talk network being run by a registered foreign agent?”
Salem Media and Parscale said they do not pay their hosts to say anything specific about Israel, and that the money was spent on more than $500,000 worth of online advertising.
“Our hosts built their careers by saying exactly what they think, not by reading someone else’s script,” said Salem CEO David Santrella. Many Salem hosts are longtime supporters of Israel who at times echo one another’s messages.
Chatbots and the pitch to Israel: 'The biggest thing outside Fox News'
Parscale’s contract with Israel is significantly larger than those of other Trump advisers who have worked for foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia, India and Qatar, which the Journal said typically paid lobbyists tens of thousands of dollars a month, according to filings.
Parscale worked on Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, gaining public attention for his use of the data firm Cambridge Analytica to collect Facebook data. He is no longer in regular contact with the president but has ties to Trump’s family.
In late 2024, he flew to Israel to present his proposal to the government, telling officials that companies he built and invested in were “probably the biggest thing outside Fox News helping fight misinformation and Jewish hate.” He returned regularly to brief Israeli officials.
The effort includes creating websites, posts and links with...