Israel-funded fake US think tank published pro-Israel content to influence AI chatbots

An Israeli government-funded campaign used a non-existent US think tank, the Hanover Institute for Public Policy, to publish over 560,000 words of pro-Israel content in August 2026. The operation, registered under FARA by subcontractor Piro Inc, used generative engine optimization to influence how AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini answer queries about the Gaza conflict. Despite millions spent through PR firm Havas, Israeli officials have privately criticized the campaign as a failure.

Hanover Institute fake think tank

• ▪The Hanover Institute for Public Policy published 124 reports totaling over 560,000 words between August 6 and August 14, 2026, presenting pro-Israel arguments as neutral research.
• ▪An analysis of 12 random Hanover Institute articles using GPTZero flagged 11 as AI-written with high confidence and one with moderate confidence.
• ▪The Hanover Institute for Public Policy does not exist as a legal entity in any jurisdiction, has no physical address, and lists no staff members or report authors.
• ▪A Guardian analysis of 124 Hanover Institute reports found that 20 reports countered genocide or apartheid allegations by noting no court had entered a verdict.
• ▪The Hanover Institute cited a single 2022 study on European social media antisemitism 454 times across 88 of its 124 reports, including on unrelated topics.

AI chatbot influence campaign

• ▪Piro Inc advertises an 'AI Story Optimization' service designed to author content engineered for how large language models evaluate credibility.
• ▪The Hanover Institute website used technology from Res, an AI-native content platform, to optimize its material so AI services would cite its pro-Israel content.
• ▪Israel contracted former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale to create pro-Israel websites engineered to influence chatbots under a $46.5 million contract.
• ▪A Drop Site investigation found that chatbots including Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini had been successfully trained on data from Brad Parscale's pro-Israel websites.

Israeli government Hasbara funding

• ▪The Israeli government funded a multimillion-dollar 'Hasbara' campaign to shape online discourse and AI-generated responses amid its deteriorating international image.
• ▪Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar allocated $181.6 million to international public diplomacy, plus an additional $666.3 million for 2026 and 2027.
• ▪Piro Inc received $900,000 from the Israeli government for its work, subcontracted through the German division of French public relations conglomerate Havas Media.
• ▪Havas Media is named as the intermediary in US foreign-agent registrations of five American firms, including Clock Tower X and Piro Inc.

FARA registration requirements

• ▪Havas Media's US subsidiary terminated its registration as an agent of the Israeli government on October 31, 2025, after which the German entity paid American contractors directly.
• ▪Res founder Hai Tran registered with the US Department of Justice on July 22, 2026, as a digital strategist subcontractor to Piro Inc on the Israeli account.
• ▪The New York media production company Piro Inc registered the Hanover Institute's material with the US Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

US public opinion on Israel

• ▪A former senior figure in Israel's public diplomacy apparatus characterized the campaign to sway US public opinion as 'a terrible hoax on the scale of Pollard.'
• ▪Israeli officials briefed Ynet in July 2026 that the public diplomacy campaign failed, with one stating the government paid a lot of money but the situation worsened.

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