As voters prepare to cast their ballots in a tightly contested general election, Israel's political landscape has shifted dramatically onto digital screens through a wave of online bots, artificial intelligence, and targeted data tools. Al Jazeera reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition rivals are locked in a virtual tie just days before the vote, with both camps utilizing social media advertisements and doctored videos to sway public opinion.

The contest has seen the widespread deployment of AI-generated content across platforms like X. According to Al Jazeera, these tools are being used to present stark visions of the country's future depending on the election's outcome, with videos showing Netanyahu confronting past criticisms or portraying the opposition as sympathetic to Arab parties.

Background

According to Al Jazeera, opinion polls indicate that the political blocs led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot are running neck-and-neck ahead of Tuesday's general election. The digital campaign environment has intensified significantly, building on existing political divisions.

Reporting by the Israeli daily Haaretz, cited by Al Jazeera, revealed that dozens of online bots originally created to undermine the Iranian government were repurposed to spread campaign propaganda supporting Netanyahu and the Likud party. These bots have reportedly been used to warn voters against Eisenkot and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Meanwhile, technological disparities have emerged among the competing factions. Mauricio Lapchik, director of the Arab-dominated Joint List Hebrew-language campaign, told Al Jazeera that his party is competing against opponents with far greater budgets and technological resources, noting that the heavy reliance on technology deepens an existing unequal playing field.

In terms of logistical operations, Al Jazeera reported that Likud initially sought to use an app called Elector to track voter turnout on election day, but the Central Elections Committee restricted its use over privacy concerns. Instead, the party will use a new application named Victory 26, which does not reveal individual voter identities but allows activists to monitor areas with low turnout.

Why it matters

For observers and ordinary readers watching global democratic processes from afar, the deployment of artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and repurposed surveillance tools in a national election highlights the growing vulnerability of modern electoral systems to digital manipulation. The reliance on advanced data apps and automated bot networks underscores how rapidly campaign tactics are evolving, raising universal questions about data privacy, technological equity between political parties, and the integrity of information in contemporary democracies.