Fact Check Team: How AI agents can run foreign influence campaigns

According to The New York Times, Iran, China, and private Israeli companies have used AI agents in social media influence campaigns, automating account creation, post generation, and coordination. In the Iranian operation, AI-generated accounts amassed nearly 80,000 followers in the first half of 2026, though it's unclear how many were actually persuaded.

• AI Agents: Iran, China, Israel Lead Influence Campaigns2026-09-19
• Meta launches One bundles pairing social apps with AI2026-09-15
• BBC explains what AI is and why people worry2026-09-14
• Meta Sued Over Training Data and Face ID2026-09-11
• UN Seeks Relevance on AI as US and China Race Ahead2026-09-21