Iran gains ground in information war with AI videos and pop culture memes
Updated
Updated · The Wall Street Journal · May 8
Iran gains ground in information war with AI videos and pop culture memes
6 articles · Updated · The Wall Street Journal · May 8
Pro-Iran groups and embassies in Thailand, the Netherlands, Ghana and Zimbabwe have pushed viral anti-Trump clips, while one think tank said engagement has risen 30-fold since the war began.
The videos use Lego-style animation, hip-hop and film references to mock US aims, portray Benjamin Netanyahu as controlling Washington and blur entertainment with propaganda, sometimes using antisemitic tropes.
The campaign marks a shift from Iran’s older revolutionary messaging after the late-February war and leadership losses, with younger media producers and state-backed channels targeting Western audiences despite Iran’s tight domestic internet controls.
How are AI-generated Lego videos and viral memes becoming Iran's most effective new weapons in modern warfare?
With AI enabling mass 'industrialized deception,' is the ability to trust digital information becoming a casualty of war?
The First TikTok War: Iran’s AI-Powered Propaganda Flood and Its Impact on Western Trust and Discourse
Overview
Between 2025 and 2026, Iran transformed its information warfare by using AI-generated content, notably through Explosive Media's viral Lego-style videos that portrayed Iran resisting US oppression while exploiting US political divisions. This shift to 'slopaganda' packages hardline messages in humorous, pop-culture formats, lowering audience defenses and resonating with polarized Western audiences. Generative AI enables rapid, low-cost production, blurring lines between propaganda, satire, and activism, which complicates detection and verification. Despite platform countermeasures, rapid account regeneration and monetization incentives sustain the campaigns. These tactics have influenced Western discourse, eroded public trust, and inspired similar strategies globally, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated regulation, advanced detection, and media literacy to protect democratic information ecosystems.