Elon Musk cracks down on 'threatening' AI-generated content relating to US-Iran conflict

X has cracked down on unmarked AI-generated videos amid the intensifying conflict between the US and Iran.

Creators who post AI videos of armed conflict without disclosing they are generated will now be suspended from the platform's revenue-sharing program for three months.

The Elon Musk-owned social media site has previously strongly advocated for the use of AI, with its own chatbot, Grok, integrated into X as of 2023.

But the site's head of product, Nikita Bier, announced the company would be cracking down on content that could 'mislead people.'

In a post on Tuesday (March 3), Nikita said: "Today we are revising our Creator Revenue Sharing policies to maintain authenticity of content on Timeline and prevent manipulation of the program.

"During times of war, it is critical that people have access to authentic information on the ground. With today’s AI technologies, it is trivial to create content that can mislead people."

He continued: "Starting now, users who post AI-generated videos of an armed conflict—without adding a disclosure that it was made with AI—will be suspended from Creator Revenue Sharing for 90 days. Subsequent violations will result in a permanent suspension from the program."

Bier added that the offending videos will be flagged via community notes should they contain metadata or 'other signals' from generative AI tools.

"We will continue to refine our policies and product to ensure X can be trusted during these critical moments."

It comes after Iran dropped missiles on Israel and US-allied states in the Middle East over the weekend, after the latter two countries issued strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini.

Videos of strikes across the United Arab Emirates and Iran have since been circulating online.

Iran strikes: what you need to know

Why are the US and Israel attacking Iran?

US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday (28 February) that the US and Israel have started 'major combat operations' in Iran after explosions were heard in multiple cities across the country.

Following a significant buildup of US forces in the region in recent weeks, Trump declared in a video posted on Truth Social that 'we are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground'.

Alongside hundreds of civilian casualties, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed dead following Israeli missile strikes around Tehran.

According to Trump, the attacks aimed to 'ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon'.

This has come after weeks of Trump threatening military action in Iran if the Middle Eastern country did not agree to a new deal over its nuclear programme. However, Iran has insisted repeatedly that its nuclear activities are 'entirely peaceful'.

What areas of the Middle East have been affected?

In retaliation to the US and Israeli strikes, Iran launched strikes of its own on Israel and Gulf Arab countries, which include Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Several videos have been posted on social media from tourists and civilians that show the damage inflicted across these areas from missile and drone strikes.

Meanwhile, after Lebanon's Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah fired missiles at the Israeli city of Haifa, Israel responded with its own strikes.

On Tuesday (3 March), Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz promised IDF troops on the ground would 'advance and seize additional strategic areas in Lebanon in order to prevent fire on Israeli border communities'.