Technology and Propaganda: US Debate Over AI Use and War Imagery with Iran

In the United States, a multi-dimensional debate is growing regarding the ethics of conducting and portraying warfare. The conflict focuses on two main axes: the way the state administration crafts the media narrative about the war with Iran, and the role that artificial intelligence plays in the modern defense system. The debate over the image of war on social media is not a new phenomenon, but the current situation differs in the scale of using modern digital tools to build a military narrative, which is causing resistance from religious circles and the tech industry. The first thread concerns the White House's official communication. The administration published video montages about the war with Iran, which used pop culture clips, including footage from the film "Tropic Thunder." This prompted an immediate reaction from actor Ben Stiller, who demanded the removal of these materials. Church hierarchs reacted even more sharply. An American cardinal, commenting on the way the war tragedy was presented in a form resembling a video game, stated bluntly: „Χάσαμε την ανθρωπιά μας” (We have lost our humanity) — An American cardinal, which translates to losing our humanity. This criticism primarily concerns the "gamification" of the image of armed clashes, which, according to clergy, dehumanizes the conflict's victims. 2 — parallel debates on war and AI Parallel to the debate on war imagery, a hard dispute over technology is taking place. The Pentagon remains in conflict with the company Anthropic over the use of its tools in military operations. According to reports from TechCrunch, a former Uber manager has been engaged to manage this crisis, and the government administration is working on new, stricter guidelines regarding AI. Two Debates Described in the Articles: Subject of Dispute: war communication and video montages → military use of AI models; Main Actors: White House, Fox News, clergy → Pentagon, Anthropic, OpenAI; Axis of Criticism: trivialization of war → ethical boundaries of technology The situation is exacerbated by personnel changes in key technology companies. Caitlin Kalinowski, who served as head of the robotics division at OpenAI, resigned from her position. She cited concerns related to the company's contract with the Department of Defense and a lack of sufficient debate over the use of AI in surveillance and systems such as autonomous weapons. Although OpenAI declares that its technology will not be used to create weapons, cooperation with the military is causing internal resistance among employees. Meanwhile, in the media sphere, Fox News used archival footage of Donald Trump, becoming another element in the battle over the narrative surrounding respect for fallen soldiers. Sequence of Disputes Over War Messaging: 2026 — Publication of War Materials; 2026 — Church Criticism; 2026 — AI Dispute The overall picture is completed by the fact that the US administration is trying to balance the need for innovation on the battlefield with growing social and ethical pressure.