AI videos exploit support for troops across social media

AI-generated videos of crying U.S. service members have moved quickly across social media, with one recent wave tied to the Iran conflict showing troops speaking to parents or partners in clips designed to pull on support for the military. The same formula has already been used in the Russia-Ukraine war, where fake soldier videos have portrayed Ukrainians as weeping, surrendering or pleading for help.

Those clips have traveled across TikTok, X and other platforms, often in multiple languages, and some have drawn millions of views. Fake profiles have helped push them farther, and on January 19, 2026, Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation recorded that AI-generated soldier videos were amplifying claims about shortages in food, equipment and electricity outages.

The center has recorded 191 Russian information operations involving AI-generated content since the beginning of 2025, with at least 84.5 million views.

The U.S. National Guard has also flagged fake soldier videos caught by basic visual mistakes. In one set of clips from a supposed soldier named “Bob,” the uniform name tape read “Bob,” the rank showed E-6 and gibberish appeared where “U.S. Army” should have been.

Viral emotional content can generate ad revenue through platform monetization programs, giving creators a direct financial incentive to make fake clips that look heartbreaking enough to keep people watching. AI war videos showing American soldiers captured by Iran, troops on the ground in Iran, or F-15 crew rescues have been fake, while newer deepfakes made with OpenAI’s Sora have shown Ukrainian soldiers apologizing to the Russian people and blaming their government for the war.