Key facts
- A website operating as the 'Hanover Institute for Public Policy' has published extensive content aimed at influencing AI chatbots.
- The institute, which appears to be a non-existent legal entity, is funded by the Israeli government.
- The content is designed to present Israel's positions on issues like the conflict in Gaza and alleged war crimes as neutral research.
- Piro Inc, a US media production company, registered the site under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as working for the Israeli government.
- The campaign involves using AI optimization platforms to ensure content is cited by chatbots like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini.
A pro-Israel messaging website, operating under the name of a non-existent thinktank called the Hanover Institute for Public Policy, has generated over half a million words of content in nine days, aiming to influence AI chatbots. The initiative, financed by tens of millions of dollars from the Israeli government and routed through third parties including the European advertising group Havas Media, is designed to promote Israel's narrative on sensitive issues.
Piro Inc, a New York media production company, filed the site with the US justice department under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (Fara), disclosing its work for the Israeli government. The Hanover Institute, which has no legal entity, physical address, or named staff, presents its reports as neutral research, addressing topics such as alleged Israeli war crimes and the starvation of Palestinians in Gaza.
Analysis of the site revealed that between August 6 and 14, it published 124 reports totaling more than 560,000 words. The content is structured with headlines often posed as questions a user might ask a chatbot. While the reports cite various sources, they consistently frame information to mitigate criticism of Israel, often noting the absence of court verdicts on sensitive claims.
Furthermore, the site initially used a standard file from Res, an 'AI-native content platform,' to optimize content for AI chatbots. This file has since been replaced with a bespoke version. Res's founder, Hai Tran, registered as a subcontractor to Piro on the Israeli account. Experts suggest the material could also be incorporated into the training data for AI models, making fact-checking difficult.
This effort comes at a time when Israel's standing in US public opinion has reportedly declined, and Israeli officials have expressed concerns about the effectiveness of their public diplomacy spending. Piro's contract is valued at $1 million, but this is part of a larger campaign involving other firms like Clock Tower X, run by former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale, all operating under Havas Media.