A sensational story about the Israeli prime minister's "psychiatrist" exploded online, but it was AI-generated, originating on one of hundreds of websites researchers warn are churning out tech-enabled fiction masquerading as news. Propaganda-spewing websites have typically relied on armies of writers, but generative artificial intelligence tools now offer a significantly cheaper and faster way to fabricate content that is often hard to decipher from authentic information.
Hundreds of AI-powered sites mimicking news outlets have cropped up in recent months, fueling an explosion of false narratives - about everything from war to politicians - that researchers say is stoking alarm in a year of high-stake elections around the world. "Israeli prime minister's psychiatrist commits suicide," still tops the list of "popular articles" highlighted on Global Village Space, a Pakistani digital outlet, after it made an online splash in November with baseless claims about a suicide note blaming Netanyah