Brad Parscale's Israel-backed campaign is reportedly targeting AI chatbots, using pro-Israel websites to influence how platforms answer questions about Gaza and the US-Israel relationship #
Israel has reportedly paid Donald Trump's former 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale millions of dollars to build a sophisticated digital influence campaign designed not only to reach human audiences but also to shape the information consumed by artificial intelligence chatbots.
According to reporting by Drop Site News, foreign lobbying disclosures and previously published reporting by Axios, Parscale's digital marketing company, Clock Tower X, secured a $46.5 million contract linked to the Israeli government's international communications strategy.
Unlike traditional lobbying or public relations campaigns, the reported operation focuses on producing online content intended to influence how AI systems such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity respond to questions about Israel, Gaza and the broader US-Israel relationship.
If accurate, the project represents one of the clearest examples yet of governments adapting their influence campaigns to an internet increasingly dominated by AI-generated answers rather than conventional search results.
Digital Campaign Reportedly Targets AI Search Ecosystem #
According to the reports, Clock Tower X has built a network of websites that appear designed less for large human audiences than for search engines, web crawlers and the retrieval systems that increasingly power AI chatbots. Among the reported sites are Allyvia, FactSignal, Paxpoint, Justorium and CompassionPulse.
Each reportedly focuses on different aspects of Israel's public messaging, including military operations, US-Israel defence cooperation, regional security and responses to criticism surrounding the war in Gaza. The strategy differs significantly from conventional online campaigning.
Rather than relying on viral social media posts or paid advertising, the reported objective is to publish enough searchable material that AI models may reference, summarise or retrieve the content when users ask politically sensitive questions.
As millions of people increasingly turn to chatbots instead of traditional search engines, appearing within AI-generated answers has become a new frontier for information campaigns.
Foreign Lobbying Filings Outline the Project #
The reported campaign is supported by foreign lobbying documents filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). According to those filings, Clock Tower X was contracted to produce digital communications on behalf of the State of Israel.
Axios previously reported that the company had been tasked with creating pro-Israel digital content alongside what internal documents reportedly described as 'GPT framing' material.
Although the phrase has not been formally defined by either the company or Israeli officials, researchers have interpreted it as content specifically designed to influence large language models and AI-generated responses.
The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft has also highlighted the reported contract, describing Clock Tower X as one of Israel's largest foreign influence contractors. According to the institute's analysis, the reported agreement is worth $46.5 million over one year.
Neither Israel nor Clock Tower X has publicly characterised the campaign as an attempt to manipulate AI systems, instead describing the work more broadly as part of public diplomacy and digital communications.
Gaza Coverage Sits at the Centre of the Campaign #
Much of the reported content focuses directly on the war in Gaza. According to Drop Site News, several articles challenge widely reported narratives surrounding civilian casualties while defending Israeli military operations.
Among the examples cited were articles questioning claims surrounding journalists killed during the conflict and pieces disputing allegations that Israel's actions constitute genocide under international law.
The network also reportedly published material concerning the death of Hind Rajab, the five-year-old Palestinian girl whose killing became one of the most internationally recognised incidents of the conflict. Each website reportedly includes disclosures stating that the material is distributed by Clock Tower X on behalf of the State of Israel, in line with US foreign lobbying requirements.
Those disclosures mean the campaign is not entirely hidden. Critics, however, argue that many chatbot users may never see the underlying source material or notice who funded it if an AI system incorporates or cites the information.
Some AI Chatbots Have Already Cited the Websites #
According to testing conducted by Drop Site News, several AI platforms have already referenced websites from the reported network when responding to user questions. Perplexity reportedly cited Allyvia when answering questions about deeper US-Israel military cooperation.
Microsoft Copilot was also reported to have referenced material published across the network in some responses. The results were not consistent across every platform.
Some AI systems reportedly identified that the websites were funded by the Israeli government when asked directly about them, while others simply cited the material without highlighting its origin. Researchers say this inconsistency illustrates one of the emerging challenges facing AI-generated information.
Unlike conventional search engines, which present users with multiple competing sources, chatbots often provide a single synthesised answer. If those answers rely heavily on government-funded content without making that relationship clear, users may struggle to understand where the information originated.
AI Influence Marks a New Stage in Political Messaging #
Parscale is best known for overseeing Donald Trump's digital campaign operations during the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns, where sophisticated online targeting strategies became a defining feature of modern political advertising.
His reported move into AI-focused communications reflects a broader shift occurring across governments, lobbying organisations and political campaigns worldwide.
Rather than competing only for attention on social media or in search engine rankings, organisations are increasingly seeking visibility inside AI-generated answers that millions of users now rely on for news, explanations and background information.
Experts say the broader issue extends beyond any single government. States, corporations and advocacy groups have long attempted to influence media narratives through advertising, lobbying and public relations. AI introduces a new layer because chatbot responses often appear neutral, authoritative and conversational, even when they incorporate material originating from interested parties.
That has prompted growing debate among researchers over how AI companies should disclose sources, identify government-funded material and prevent attempts to manipulate retrieval systems. Neither OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft nor Perplexity has accused Clock Tower X of violating their policies in connection with the reported campaign.
For now, the reported Israeli initiative stands as an early example of how geopolitical influence operations may evolve in the age of artificial intelligence, where shaping an AI-generated answer could prove just as valuable as shaping a newspaper headline. © Copyright IBTimes 2025. All rights reserved.