- An AI-generated video of Trump's vision for Gaza went viral after he shared it without context. The creators behind the video say it was intended to be satirical, and they have no idea how it ended up in the U.S. president's hands. The incident highlights concerns around AI’s growing potential to spread misinformation.
The creators behind a controversial AI video depicting Trump's vision for the Gaza Strip have said it was intended to be satirical.
Speaking to the BBC, Solo Avital said the video, which reimagines the Gaza Strip as a cross between Las Vegas and Dubai, was only made to experiment with a new product from an L.A.-based AI software company called Arcana. He said the video was created in eight hours and initially shared only with close friends, all of whom understood it was satirical.
Avital said his co-creator, Ariel Vromen, briefly shared the video online after it was created on Feb. 6, before deleting it a few hours later.
The pair told NBC News they were not sure how the video made its way to Trump, who shared it on his Truth Social account on February 25 with no explanation.
The video features luxurious yachts, belly dancers, Elon Musk eating a pita, and a gold statue of Trump. The video is set over an AI-generated song with lyrics including: “Donald is coming to set you free/ Bringing the light for all to see/ No more tunnels, no more fear/ Trump Gaza is finally here."
The video was met with widespread condemnation after the president posted it.
Satirical aims
Avital and Vromen have said the video aimed to satirize Trump's suggestion that the Gaza Strip could become a “Riviera of the Middle East.”
On Feb. 4, during a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump suggested expelling the nearly 2 million Palestinians living on the land as part of a permanent “resettlement” plan so the land could be occupied.
The suggestion drew widespread condemnation, with the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas calling the suggestion “a serious violation of international law."
Vromen and Avital said they had no intention of participating in a propaganda campaign for Trump's plans.
However, Vromen also told NBC News that the former president's proposal for Gaza could address a long-standing stalemate in the region.
“You look at Trump Gaza, and you’re like, ‘Hey, gazillion times better than what it is right now, whether it’s good or bad,’” he said. “With humor, there is truth, you know, but it was not our intention to be a propaganda machine.”
The pair are cofounders of the L.A.-based company EyeMix Visuals, which creates commercials and promotional media, partly with generative AI tools. Representatives for Avital and Vromen did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fortune.
Possible dangers of AI
Avital said the video and the reaction it received demonstrated some of the potential dangers of using AI in politics.
"Imagine if we had spent more than eight hours on it; in about a week, you wouldn't be able to tell if it's AI or a video that was filmed," he said, describing this as the "danger point."
Trump has shared various fake AI visuals seemingly for political gain before.
During the run-up to the 2024 election, Trump shared a group of AI-generated images that falsely depicted Taylor Swift and her fans endorsing him. Swift later addressed the images in an Instagram post, endorsing Kamala Harris for president.
"Recently, I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation," she said.
