Fez — The Israeli government has signed a $6 million contract with the American firm Clock Tower X LLC in what observers describe as a strategic effort to influence digital narratives and the broader online information environment, including the data ecosystem used by large language models such as ChatGPT.
Under the contract — reported in filings under the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act — Clock Tower X is tasked with producing digital media content and online materials designed to reach Generation Z audiences across platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and podcasts, with a target of generating at least 50 million monthly impressions.
According to the report, the firm will also create search-optimized websites and other content that may affect how generative AI, including ChatGPT, frames and responds to queries related to Israel, Palestine, and other topics. This approach involves shaping the online information environment from which AI models draw data, rather than a direct partnership with the developers of those models.
Strategy and reaction
The arrangement, which comes as part of a broader digital outreach effort by the Israeli Foreign Ministry and its public diplomacy apparatus, is described by government filings as aimed at combating antisemitism and improving Israel’s image among younger audiences.
Clock Tower X is led by Brad Parscale, a US political consultant and former campaign manager for a major US presidential campaign, who also serves as chief strategy officer of the Salem Media Group. The company’s work, as set out in the contract, involves significant content production tailored to online and social media environments.
The campaign fits into a larger pattern of state-level digital outreach: other contracts overseen by Israeli authorities involve engagements with influencers and public relations firms targeting audiences in the US and beyond. Analysts point to these moves as part of an evolving public diplomacy and narrative strategy that blends traditional media, social platforms, and digital technologies to shape perceptions abroad.
Broader discourse on AI and information
Experts and digital rights advocates have raised questions about the implications of efforts to shape the datasets and online environments that inform AI outputs. Because generative AI systems learn from vast amounts of publicly available text and web content, attempts to flood those sources with tailored messaging can influence how AI generates responses on certain subjects, according to specialists in algorithmic training and content moderation.
While the Israeli government’s filings describe the campaign’s purpose in defensive terms, critics argue that such contracts underscore broader debates about transparency, influence, and the role of artificial intelligence in public discourse — particularly when powerful states seek to indirectly affect how AI platforms present complex geopolitical issues.
As digital information ecosystems and AI technologies continue to evolve, the intersection between state communications strategies and algorithmically mediated content remains a key area of scrutiny for policymakers, technologists, and civil society alike.
