“Analysis of the mechanisms of using artificial intelligence to manipulate social media content and mislead public opinion in the Middle East"

With the increase in allegations related to the Egyptian affair circulating through social networking sites addressed by the "Google Fact Check" tool during 2024 in terms of fields and classifications of Egyptian affairs, which reached nearly 170 claims related to the political, economic, social, military, sports, health and other fields, and the political field topped the rest of the fields with about 68 claims 170, and in second place the social field with 32 claims, the third place the military field with 14 claims, the economic field ranked Fourth, which amounted to 13 claims, the sports field ranked fifth, with the number of allegations reaching 11.

This research aims to analyze and comprehensively review the most common AI tools used to manipulate digital content on social media to mislead public opinion in the Middle East, whether it is text, video or image, highlighting how actors exploit these tools to guide public debate, foster social divisions, and fuel political conflicts. A descriptive and analytical approach was adopted to understand the phenomenon, relying on the analysis of the content of social media posts. Which concerns the issues of the Middle East during the year 2024, which is considered the most conflicting period in the region. The results showed that digital manipulation strategies are used intensively to achieve political and social goals, directly affecting political decisions and societal trust. Based on these findings, the research recommends developing strict legislation, promoting digital awareness, and investing in AI technologies to combat fake news.