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Hanover Institute – propaganda designed for artificial intelligence For decades, influence operations had one primary target: people. Propaganda was designed to reach newspaper readers, television audiences or users scrolling through Facebook and TikTok. The Hanover Institute for Public Policy suggests that this model is beginning to change. In August 2026, an organisation presenting itself as an American think tank appeared online and, within just nine days, produced an enormous library of pseudo-academic research on Israel, Palestine and the war in Gaza. Yet the intended audience may not have been people at all. The material appears to have been designed, at least in part, to reach systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity. The Hanover Institute looked professional. It published lengthy “data reports” complete with methodologies, footnotes, tables and references to sources including the World Bank, United Nations agencies, Amnesty International and the Genocide Convention. What was considerably harder to find were the things normally associated with a genuine think tank: named experts, identifiable report authors, a physical headquarters or a clearly defined legal entity. There was, however, a much more revealing trail. Documents filed with the US Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act link Piro Inc., via Havas Media Germany, to Israel's Government Advertising Agency, known as LaPam. Hanover itself now states that its material is distributed by Piro on behalf of Havas Media Germany, acting for LaPam. 124 reports in nine days The rate of production was extraordinary, even by the standards of online publishing. Between 6 and 14 August, the Hanover Institute released 124 reports containing more than 560,000 words – an average of roughly 4,500 words per publication. On 12 and 13 August alone, 73 reports appeared, totalling almost 354,000 words. More revealing than the volume was the way the material was structured. Many titles were framed as questions remarkably similar to those a user might ask an AI assistant: “Is anti-Zionism antisemitism?”, “Did Israel expel Palestinians from their land?”, “Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza?”, “Is there a starvation policy in Gaza?” or “Is the IDF the world's most moral army?” This did not resemble the conventional publishing schedule of a research institute. It looked more like the systematic construction of answers to as many contentious questions about Israel and Palestine as possible. The presentation mattered too. These were not crude propaganda leaflets. They were written in restrained, analytical language and packaged with data, references and methodological sections. To a search engine or an AI retrieval system, they could therefore resemble legitimate expert analysis. How to write for a chatbot Some of the most revealing evidence came from the site's technical architecture. Hanover maintained an llms.txt file – a mechanism intended to make website content easier for AI systems to interpret. Reporters also identified signs of technology associated with optimising content for generative search. Piro's own marketing is equally significant. The company advertised an “AI Story Optimization” service concerned with how large language models assess information and construct answers. Its co-founder Daniel Rosenberg has written about understanding how systems such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity formulate responses – and how to ensure that an AI system knows the story a client wants to tell. The principle resembles traditional search-engine optimisation, but the target has changed. SEO tries to make a webpage rank highly in Google. Generative Engine Optimisation, or GEO, attempts to make information discoverable, credible and useful to an AI system when it constructs an answer. The chain is potentially straightforward. A user asks a chatbot a question about Israel or Gaza. The system searches for information, encounters a professionally presented Hanover report and uses it as one of the sources from which it builds its response. Propaganda no longer has to reach the user directly. It can first reach the machine, which then delivers the information to a human audience in its own apparently neutral voice. Did it actually work? This is where an important qualification is necessary. There is no evidence that the Hanover Institute “reprogrammed ChatGPT”, altered the underlying parameters of OpenAI, Google or Anthropic models, or permanently poisoned their training data. Describing the operation simply as “poisoning AI” therefore risks overstating what can currently be demonstrated. There is, however, evidence of something more specific. In neutral tests conducted by POLITICO, both ChatGPT and Perplexity cited Hanover Institute material in answers concerning Gaza, anti-Zionism and antisemitism. That suggests the operation achieved at least one of its apparent objectives: in some circumstances, AI systems treated Hanover as a source from which information could be retrieved. What remains unknown is how often this happened, how long the effect persisted and whether it meaningfully altered answers for large numbers of users. It is therefore more accurate to describe Hanover as an attempt to manipulate the retrieval and citation layer of generative AI, rather than as evidence that the underlying models themselves were permanently compromised. The money trail leads back to the Israeli state Unlike many influence operations, attribution here does not depend solely on technical clues. There is a documented financial trail. Piro Inc. registered its US activities under FARA registration number 7732. Filings identify Havas Media Germany as a contractor acting on behalf of the Israel Government Advertising Agency, LaPam. An agreement dated 30 April included $900,000 for a “Digital Storytelling Pilot”, while subsequent documentation referred to a separate $100,000 information initiative. Precision matters. The available documents do not establish that the entire $900,000 was spent specifically on the Hanover Institute. They do, however, show that Piro was conducting communications activity financed through the Israeli state apparatus and aimed at American audiences, while Hanover materials were submitted to the Department of Justice under the same FARA registration. Following scrutiny of the project, Hanover also became considerably more explicit about its funding. Its website now identifies Piro, Havas Media Germany and LaPam. From propaganda for people to propaganda for machines The significance of the Hanover Institute does not depend on proving that the operation was enormously successful. Its importance lies in what it reveals about the changing architecture of influence. The internet is increasingly moving away from a model in which users open ten webpages and compare sources themselves. Instead, they ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude or Perplexity a question and receive a synthesised answer. That creates a new point at which the information environment can be manipulated. The traditional model looked something like this: create a misleading article, use accounts or advertising to increase its reach, and place it in front of human users. Hanover suggests another model: build a professional-looking source, publish hundreds of articles structured around questions people ask AI, optimise those materials for generative systems, and allow the chatbot to potentially incorporate them into its own answers. The most consequential feature of this mechanism is that the user may never visit the Hanover Institute website. They may never even know that the organisation exists. Its content only needs to become one ingredient in an answer generated by a system the user trusts. In the age of search engines, governments, companies and campaigners fought over what people would see in Google results. In the age of generative artificial intelligence, an increasingly important battle will be fought over something else: which sources machines use to construct the answers we accept as knowledge. Sources The Guardian – “Fake US thinktank set up and funded by Israel sought to game AI for propaganda” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/26/fake-thinktank-israel-ai-propaganda POLITICO – “Israeli PR wants to answer your ChatGPT questions” https://archive.ph/xF7sZ US Department of Justice – FARA documentation for Piro Inc., registration no. 7732 https://efile.fara.gov/docs/7732-Exhibit-AB-20260602-0.pdf Hanover Institute – funding and organisational disclosure https://hanoverinstitute.com/about Responsible Statecraft – “Israel creates fake think tank in likely attempt to dupe AI chatbots” https://responsiblestatecraft.org/israel-influence-chatgpt/ AIthropology Lab – “Manufacturing the source to manufacture the answer” https://aithropologylab.org/en/radar/2026-09-02/ #Disinformation #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #HanoverInstitute #Israel #Gaza #Palestine #ChatGPT #Claude #Gemini #GenerativeAI #AIPropaganda #Propaganda #InfluenceOperations #InformationWarfare #GenerativeEngineOptimization #GEO #LLM #MediaManipulation #DigitalInfluence #WRLD

Αμέσως μετά την σφαγή των ισραηλινών αμάχων απο την Χαμάς το BBC πρόβαλε fake news οτι το ισραήλ βομβάρδισε νοσοκομείο στη Γαζα με 500 νεκρούς. Τώρα ο GUARDIAN χρηματοδοτεί ενα λίβελο κατά του IDF δύο ισραηλινών ακροαριστερών προδοτών σαν αντίβαρο στην συγκλονιστική σειρά FAUDA⬇️ #Ισραήλ #Χαμάς #ΜΜΕ

Chissà come mai quelli di The Guardian hanno capito la situazione meglio di tanti (che si spacciano pure per laziali) che qui a Roma o in Italia giocano a far finta di non capire o dicono che questa protesta non serve a nulla e non interessa nessuno https://t.co/r8VygXDU7g #Lazio #Roma #Protesta #TheGuardian

LES POUPÉES SEXUELLES Elle ne dit jamais non » : dans les coulisses du boom des poupées sexuelles à l'ère de l'IA (Résumé et analyse critique : « Poupées sexuelles à l'ère de l'IA » (The Guardian, 29 août 2026) Le fait divers déclencheur L'article de Madison Griffiths s'ouvre sur un fait divers révélateur : près de Sydney, la découverte d'un « corps » dans une valise — présentant de fausses ecchymoses — s'est avérée être une poupée sexuelle abandonnée. Aucune loi n'a été enfreinte (la possession de poupées sexuelles adultes étant légale en Australie, au Royaume-Uni et ailleurs), mais l'incident sert de porte d'entrée à une question plus large : que révèle sur nos sociétés la mise en scène de violence sur un objet façonné à l'image d'une femme ? Un marché en pleine expansion Les chiffres cités sont sans appel : le marché mondial des poupées sexuelles, évalué à 6,6 milliards de dollars en 2025, devrait doubler pour atteindre 13,4 milliards d'ici 2033. L'article situe cette croissance dans un contexte technologique plus large : IA conversationnelle, impression 3D permettant une personnalisation totale, et surtout l'intégration de personnalités programmables (comme le modèle « Harmony » de RealDoll depuis 2017, ou « Emily » de Lovense présentée au CES). Les tensions soulevées (suite: page FB Sexologie Magazine) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063529748833 Dr Patrice Cudicio, Mme Jasmine Saunier sexologue, hypnothérapeute, Paris

⚡️🇮🇱|🇵🇸INFO - Dans le documentaire #NAZA, 24 officiers ou agents des renseignements israéliens racontent leur participation aux opérations menées dans la bande de #Gaza, que certains d’entre eux qualifient de « #génocide ». Un responsable militaire évoque « des tueries de masse à une échelle industrielle ». À travers leurs témoignages, le film décrit l’utilisation par #Tsahal d’outils technologiques dopés à l’#IA pour tuer des #civils de façon calculée et systématique. Un militaire affirme que jusqu’à 500 personnes ont été tuées dans des frappes visant une seule personne. Un autre explique avoir eu le sentiment d’être dans un jeu vidéo et reconnaît y avoir pris du plaisir. Les témoins décrivent également des #massacres dans des zones interdites définies par #Israël, notamment à proximité de centres de distribution d’aide humanitaire. Des snipers y abattaient des #Gazaouis affamés tentant d’obtenir de la nourriture. De nombreux agents interrogés comparent la déshumanisation dont ils ont été témoins à celle de la #Shoah. Réalisé par les Israéliens Yuval #Abraham et Rachel #Szor, et produit notamment par The Guardian, NAZA s’appuie sur des enquêtes publiées par le média israélo-palestinien +972 Magazine et le quotidien britannique. Ces témoignages s’inscrivent dans un contexte où plus de 73 000 Palestiniens ont été tués dans la bande de Gaza depuis 2023. Selon certaines estimations, le bilan réel serait bien plus élevé, alors que les massacres de civils se poursuivent. Présenté à la Mostra de Venise, le documentaire a reçu une ovation de 25 minutes, un record pour le festival. À ce jour, aucune date officielle de sortie en salles en France n’a été annoncée… #Gaza #Israël #documentaire

Seit den Terroranschlägen vom 11. September 2001 – kurz 9/11 - sind genau 25 Jahre vergangen. Ich finde es erstaunlich, dass es nach so langer Zeit weiterhin verboten ist zu sagen, dass WTC7 gesprengt wurde. Wer das trotzdem sagt, wird von den Mainstreammedien diffamiert und erhält einen schlechten Wikipedia-Artikel. Mir ist das egal. Ich lasse mich nicht einschüchtern. Ich bin der festen Überzeugung, dass WTC7 gesprengt wurde. Dies wiederum bedeutet, dass wir nie ehrlich über 9/11 informiert wurden. Der Krieg gegen Afghanistan, der am 7. Oktober 2001 begann und 20 Jahre dauerte, basiert auf einer Lüge. Die grossen Medienmarken New York Times, Guardian, ARD, ZDF, SRF, ORF, BBC, Spiegel haben zu 9/11 total versagt. Sie haben uns erzählt, dass US-Präsident Bush und Vizepräsident Cheney damals die Wahrheit gesagt haben. Doch das stimmt nicht. Bush und Cheney haben die Welt angelogen. Wie 2003 mit der Geschichte mit den ABC-Waffen vor dem illegalen Angriff auf Irak. Es gab keine ABC-Waffen, auch der Irakkrieg basiert auf einer Lüge. Die meisten Menschen glauben, beeindruckt durch das Fernsehen, dass am 11. September 2001 in New York nur zwei hohe Türme eingestürzt sind. Aber das stimmt nicht, es waren drei. Nämlich die bekannten je 415 Meter hohen Zwillingstürme WTC1 und WTC2 sowie das 186 Meter hohe WTC7. Im Unterschied zu den Zwillingstürmen war WTC7 zuvor nicht durch ein Flugzeug getroffen worden. Trotzdem stürzte die massive Stahlskelettkonstruktion in nur sieben Sekunden um 17:20 Uhr ein. Das war rätselhaft. Der Einsturz von WTC7 setzte plötzlich ohne erkennbare Vorzeichen ein und erfolgte vollständig in den eigenen Grundriss. In England sorgte damals Reporterin Jane Stanley von BBC, die am Tag der Anschläge live aus New York über den Einsturz von WTC7 berichtete, für Verwirrung. Sie berichtete am 11. September 20 Minuten zu früh über den Einsturz von WTC7, das Gebäude stand noch und war hinter ihr klar zu sehen. »Das war ein Fehler«, räumte Jane Stanley 2008 ein. Warum berichtete BBC zu früh? Das sollte jeden zum Nachdenken anregen. Der Einsturz von WTC7 kann nur zwei mögliche Ursachen haben: Feuer oder kontrollierte Sprengung. Während der ersten zweieinviertel Sekunden fiel WTC7 mit seinen 47 Stockwerken im freien Fall, also ohne jeden Widerstand mit Erdbeschleunigung nach unten. WTC7 war ein solider Stahlskelettbau mit insgesamt 81 starken senkrechten Säulen, 57 verliefen entlang der Außenseiten, 24 Säulen bildeten den Kern. Wie kann ein Stahlskelettbau plötzlich in den freien Fall übergehen? Meiner Ansicht nach geht das nur durch Sprengung. Fazit: Wir wurden zu 9/11 angelogen. #911 #WTC7 #Lügen

Il documentario NAZA, prodotto dal Guardian e presentato alla Mostra del Cinema di Venezia, ha ricevuto un'ovazione di 24 minuti e mezzo, la più lunga mai registrata al festival, mentre parte del pubblico sventolava bandiere palestinesi Diretto da Yuval Abraham e Rachel Szor, il film raccoglie le testimonianze anonime di 24 militari e membri dell'intelligence israeliani sull'utilizzo dell'intelligenza artificiale nelle operazioni a Gaza. Secondo i testimoni, alcuni sistemi sarebbero stati impiegati per individuare e generare su larga scala obiettivi legati ad Hamas, anche nelle abitazioni, nonostante la presenza di familiari. Gli intervistati raccontano inoltre di operazioni di sorveglianza e intercettazione dei telefoni, della sistematica distruzione di edifici e quartieri e di attacchi condotti con la consapevolezza del possibile elevato numero di vittime civili. Il titolo NAZA deriva da un termine utilizzato nell'intelligence israeliana per indicare il numero previsto di civili che potrebbero morire in un attacco #NAZA #Venezia #Palestina

"NAZA" is the acronym used by Israeli intelligence to indicate "the number of civilians they expect will be killed in an airstrike," according to the Guardian, which is producing the documentary by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor in competition at the Venice Film Festival. Abraham that number it (translated)

🚨 MAURICIO POCHETTINO 🇦🇷 RÉCLAME LE TITRE DE CHAMPION D’ANGLETERRE 2016-17 POUR TOTTENHAM après les sanctions financières contre Chelsea. 🏆👇 « NOUS AURIONS DÛ REMPORTER UNE PREMIER LEAGUE, le titre aurait dû NOUS ÊTRE ATTRIBUÉ. 🤍 Si ces faits sont avérés, à coup sûr nous méritions d’être champions cette année-là. Parce que nous étions les deuxièmes meilleurs. » 🎙️ @guardian #PremierLeague #Tottenham #Pochettino

🗣️Dani Olmo: “Después de que gané la Copa del Mundo, Hansi Flick me dijo: ‘Eres un campeón del mundo, Dani, y ahora lo haremos con el Barcelona’, eso es lo que me dijo” [Vía @guardian ] https://t.co/vOfLRmKpVK #DaniOlmo #CopaDelMundo #FCBarcelona

📣 Selon The @guardian, le Royaume-Uni va interdire le commerce des biens et de certains services avec les colonies israéliennes, notamment suite à l’avis de la @CIJ_ICJ. Une mesure pourtant longtemps jugée « impossible ». Les lignes bougent. Enfin. ⚖️ https://t.co/d2pu5iwCXn #RoyaumeUni #Israël #DroitsHumains

“Europa ya no puede ser la guardiana del viejo orden mundial, de un mundo que se ha ido y no volverá. Siempre defenderemos y mantendremos el sistema basado en reglas que ayudamos a construir junto con nuestros aliados, pero ya no podemos confiar en él como la única forma de defender nuestros intereses ni asumir que sus normas nos protegerán de las complejas amenazas a las que nos enfrentamos”