Free sites powered by AI are transforming global data into interactive maps: military movements, protests, disasters, missile launches. These dashboards are experiencing rapid success, offering internet users an overview of geopolitical news.
The site “Monitor the situation”, powered by AI, for example, displays frigates gathered around Cyprus or military planes heading towards the Gulf. An alert can also inform users, in real time, of information hinting at a drone strike in Dubai.
Every day, thousands of internet users have their eyes on the dashboard of this site, which claims to track everything: the location of world leaders, internet outages, bombings. Events appear as points or icons on an interactive map, which users can simply click on to get a brief summary. At the same time, a forum allows users to exchange and comment, while observing what looks like a continuous thermometer of global news.
“World Monitor”, on the other hand, offers a customizable dashboard that aggregates data from over 450 sources, in an aesthetic reminiscent of a radar screen with colored points, ranging from green to red depending on the importance of events. It also features live webcams from strategic sites around the world, a selection of media headlines curated by AI, as well as real-time tracking of stock markets and commodities.
Having an overview “like God”
Interviewed by AFP, Elie Habib, creator of “World Monitor”, touts “the impression of having an overview, like God”, claiming that the site has recorded 4.4 million visits since its creation in January 2026.
“World Monitor was born out of a Sunday of boredom, as global news became difficult to decipher: Iran, Trump’s decisions, financial markets, critical minerals… I needed to understand how all these events correlate with each other,” explains the 53-year-old businessman based in Dubai to L’Orient-Le Jour.
Although the war in the Middle East has increased demand for this type of platform, Elie Habib assures that he has not placed any advertisements on the site, not wanting to profit from the conflict.
Not always reliable
“Monitor the situation” and “World Monitor” are among the many free sites that use artificial intelligence to transform data into interactive world maps, rich in information (but not always reliable).
These are not just visual gadgets… but they are also not engines of truth
Trained as an engineer, Elie Habib explains that he uses information from “open source”, allowing him to collaborate with other programmers to improve his site.
These types of sites offer many spectacular features. But experts warn internet users that not all their analyses are reliable.
In times of crisis, people seek speed, synthesis, and a sense of control in the face of fragmented information
“These are not just visual gadgets… but they are also not engines of truth,” analyzes Wei Sun, AI analyst at Counterpoint Research, for AFP. “The risk of hallucination is real” when an AI is tasked with determining the relevance of information or causality links, the expert adds. In the field of artificial intelligence, a “hallucination” is an incorrect response presented as a certain fact.
Despite this risk of hallucination, these AI-based dashboards “respond to a very modern psychological need,” concedes Wei Sun. “In times of crisis, people seek speed, synthesis, and a sense of control in the face of fragmented information,” she acknowledges.
Fabien Grenon with agencies
