Free websites 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, displays, for example, frigates gathered around Cyprus or military aircraft heading towards the Gulf. An alert can also inform users, in real-time, of information about a drone strike in Dubai.
Every day, thousands of internet users keep their eyes on this site’s dashboard, which claims to track everything: location of world leaders, internet outages, bombings. Events appear as points or icons on an interactive map, which can be clicked on for a brief summary. In parallel, a forum allows users to exchange and comment while observing what looks like a real-time thermometer of global news.
“World Monitor” offers a customizable dashboard that aggregates over 450 data sources, in a design reminiscent of a radar screen with colored points, from green to red depending on the importance of events. It also includes live webcams from strategic sites around the world, a selection of media headlines curated by AI, and real-time monitoring of stock markets and commodities.
Having an overview “like a God”
Interviewed by AFP, Elie Habib, creator of “World Monitor”, praises “the impression of having an overview, like a God”, claiming that the site has seen 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 decrypt: 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 to L’Orient-Le Jour, based in Dubai.
Although the war in the Middle East has boosted demand for this type of platform, Elie Habib claims to have not placed any ads 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 not truth engines either
An engineer by training, Elie Habib explains that he relies on “open source” information, allowing him to collaborate with other programmers to enhance his site.
These kinds of sites offer many spectacular features. But experts warn internet users that not all their analysis is 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 not truth engines either,” 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 causal links, adds the expert. In the field of artificial intelligence, “hallucination” is an erroneous response presented as a certain fact.
Despite this risk of hallucination, these AI-based dashboards “meet a very modern psychological need,” concedes Wei Sun. “In times of crisis, people seek speed, synthesis, and a sense of control facing fragmented information,” she acknowledges.
Fabien Grenon with agencies
