Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become the subject of a widely debunked but ongoing claim that he is dead, a particularly high-profile example of the clouded and exceedingly fraught information environment created by the mix of AI and social media.
Social media users began to speculate about the Israeli leader’s well-being after footage of a recent televised address began circulating online last week, in which Netanyahu gave an update on the war in Iran.
Some viewers suggested the video was AI-generated, noting that at one point, Netanyahu’s hand appears to have six fingers, a common artifact of generative artificial intelligence output. Screen grabs of his hand became widespread on platforms like X.
Fact-checking website PolitiFact rated the six-finger claims false, writing that “a trick of light likely made part of his palm appear to be an extra finger.”
But unsubstantiated rumors of Netanyahu’s death continued to spread, with TikTokers and meme
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