X Will Suspend Users Who Post AI-Generated Videos Of War Without Disclosure

As the conflict in the Middle East continues, social media platform X announced on Tuesday that it will suspend users from collecting ad revenue if they post “videos of armed conflict” generated by artificial intelligence without disclosing that the video is not authentic.

Nikita Bier, the head of product at the Elon Musk-owned social media platform, said X is changing its policies to crack down on users making money through X’s revenue sharing program by misleading the public during a time of war. Beginning on Tuesday, users who post AI-generated content depicting war without a disclosure will not be able to make money on their posts for 90 days, and a second violation would result in a permanent ban from the program.

“During times of war, it is critical that people have access to authentic information on the ground. With today’s AI technologies, it is trivial to create content that can mislead people,” Bier said.

Bier said that X will rely on its public fact-checking system known as Community Notes and a post’s metadata to flag whether a video is AI-generated. X’s move does not prohibit users from posting AI-generated videos depicting war. Bier explained that if content creators want to post an AI-generated video, they should add a “Made with AI” label that X provides in its options before someone posts.

The social media company’s move was widely praised by X users who argue that the explosion of AI-generated content in recent months risks misinforming the public when major events, such as the conflict in the Middle East, take place.

Since the conflict began over the weekend, pro-Iran accounts have posted AI-generated content claiming to show the USS Abraham Lincoln getting destroyed by Iranian missiles.

U.S. Central Command responded on Sunday to false claims that the USS Abraham Lincoln was hit by Iranian missiles.

“Iran’s IRGC claims to have struck USS Abraham Lincoln with ballistic missiles. LIE,” CENTCOM stated. “The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn’t even come close. The Lincoln continues to launch aircraft in support of CENTCOM’s relentless campaign to defend the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime.”

Other pro-Iran accounts have also posted dated or manipulated footage that have exaggerated the damage caused by missiles the regime fired at Israel in recent days. At least one AI-generated video falsely claiming to show rockets raining down on Tel Aviv spread on X on Tuesday. As of publication, the video had not been labeled as AI by Community Notes, despite numerous users pointing out the clear signs that the video was fake, such as the identical designs of the roofs of all the buildings seen in the video.

X’s revenue sharing program allows users to collect some of the ad revenue generated from their posts if they get enough engagement. As AI tools improve, however, some users are making money off of AI-generated videos that appear to show breaking news events or global conflicts.

The U.S.-Iran conflict is not the first time AI-generated videos have duped social media users. Throughout the Ukraine-Russia war, fake videos have popped up on social media. Most recently, AI-generated videos depicted Ukrainian soldiers surrendering on the front lines.