Wildfire DisInformation Becomes a State Weapon, Aided by AI
![](https://www.sej.org/sites/default/files/lahaina-hawaii53128185128_706d864621_c-90.png)
How did the Lahaina wildfire spark an AI-driven influence campaign out of China? Perhaps a technological leap. Or perhaps, the new WatchDog Opinion column suggests, a natural evolution of a decades-old disinformation playbook with roots in a war against science and culminating in climate denial. A look at the disturbing prospects and a plea for journalists not to sidestep the phenomenon but to cover it.