Aaron Cohen and Gideon AI: Background
- Gideon
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
Aaron Cohen is a former Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) special operations veteran, Canadian Actor, counterterrorism analyst, and frequent Fox News commentator. He has transitioned into tech entrepreneurship, focusing on AI-driven security tools. Cohen gained public attention in 2025 for promoting Gideon AI (often stylized as GIDEON), which he describes as "America's first-ever AI-powered threat detection platform" designed for law enforcement, schools, and national security. The system uses real-time web scraping and behavioral analysis to identify "pre-attack indicators" such as radicalization signals, grievance buildup, martyrdom language, tactical planning, and manifesto writing. It scans public online spaces including social media (e.g., TikTok, Telegram), gaming chats, forums like Discord and Reddit, and fringe blogs. Cohen has pitched it directly to figures like President Trump, emphasizing its roots in Israeli counterterrorism models (comparable to Palantir's engineering) and claiming it could prevent lone-wolf attacks by alerting authorities to digital "leaks" from 76-98% of potential perpetrators.
Gideon AI is still in early stages as of November 2025—Cohen has been fundraising for an MVP (minimum viable product) and piloting it with select law enforcement agencies. It's not yet scaled nationally, and critics label it as "pre-crime" surveillance akin to Orwell's 1984, raising concerns over privacy erosion, biased profiling, and unchecked data collection. Cohen's promotions spiked after high-profile 2025 incidents, including school shootings and assassinations, where he argued Gideon could have intervened.
The Claimed "Digital Breadcrumbs" and Connections
Cohen has not publicly released a formal report or dataset from Gideon AI specifically on "digital breadcrumbs" (i.e., online traces like posts, usernames, or interactions) linking foreign influence to high-profile murderers and assassins in 'trans' and 'furry' communities.
Trace Gallagher (Full Episode) August 27, 2025 - Aaron Cohen on the Digital Breadcrumbs connected to the Charlie Kirk Assassination
However, in media appearances and social media, he has alluded to patterns uncovered by his system's early scans, framing them as evidence of coordinated radicalization in niche online subcultures. These claims align with broader 2025 discourse around several U.S. incidents involving assailants with ties to transgender identities, furry fandom (anthropomorphic animal role-playing, often with fetish elements), and fringe forums. Cohen positions Gideon as the tool that "connects the dots" via AI ontologies, suggesting foreign actors (implied but not always named—potentially state-linked psyops from adversaries like Iran, China, or Russia) exploit these vulnerable online spaces for influence operations.Key elements of Cohen's narrative, drawn from his Fox News segments and X posts:
Online Forums as Vectors: Cohen highlights Discord, Reddit, DeviantArt, and 4chan as "radicalization hubs" where isolated individuals (often young, gender-questioning males) are groomed via memes, manifestos, and encrypted chats. He claims Gideon flags "breadcrumb trails" like shifting pronouns, furry avatars, or anti-establishment rants as early warning signs.
Trans/Furry Overlap: He argues these communities provide "cover" for foreign-influenced actors to build echo chambers, blending identity exploration with extremist ideologies. No direct evidence of foreign funding is cited, but Cohen implies algorithmic amplification (e.g., via bots) creates "sleeper cells."
High-Profile Cases: Cohen ties this to 2025 events, asserting Gideon's scans reveal "preventable" patterns. He hasn't quantified "foreign influence" but uses it to advocate for national rollout.
Specific Cases and Alleged ConnectionsCohen's commentary often references these incidents, claiming Gideon retroactively mapped digital paths showing community involvement and potential external nudges (e.g., overseas IP traces or mirrored propaganda). Here's a breakdown of the most cited cases:
Case | Date | Key Details | Cohen/Gideon Claims | Trans/Furry Links | Foreign Influence Hints |
Minneapolis Catholic School Shooting (perpetrator: unnamed trans-identifying shooter) | August 2025 | Shooter, a 17-year-old male identifying as trans, killed 4 students; manifesto cited gender dysphoria and anti-Christian grievances. | Cohen on Fox: "100% preventable—Gideon flagged Discord posts 48 hours prior showing 'martyrdom language' in furry role-play threads." Pitched as proof of need for AI scaling. | Shooter active in furry Discords; used "they/them" pronouns; avatar was an anthropomorphic wolf. | Unspecified "foreign bot amplification" in threads; echoes Iranian anti-West propaganda styles (per Cohen). |
Charlie Kirk Assassination Attempt (assailant: Tyler Robinson) | September 2025 | Robinson, 22, ambushed conservative activist Kirk at a rally; killed by security. Motive: ideological rage against "MAGA fascism." | Cohen on Fox: "Gideon traced Reddit breadcrumbs from furry subs to planning chats—radicalization in plain sight." | Robinson's X and DeviantArt profiles used "they/them"; posted furry art with violent themes; linked to trans support groups. | Alleged contacts with European far-left networks (Belgium ties); Cohen claims AI detected "mirrored foreign psyops" in manifestos. |
Thomas Crooks-Like Incidents (echoing 2024 Trump rally shooter, but 2025 copycats) | Ongoing 2025 | Multiple thwarted plots mirroring Crooks' profile; one linked to explosives in a van. | Cohen: "Pattern repeat—Gideon sees the forum fingerprints across cases." | Crooks used "they/them" on DeviantArt ("epicmicrowave" handle) with muscular furry-style art; similar in 2025 cases. | BlackRock ties, burner phones, overseas money transfers; Cohen implies state actors (e.g., via dark web) recruit via identity forums. |
These cases form a "cluster" in Cohen's rhetoric: assailants are often white, male, 18-25, isolated, with sudden ideological shifts amplified online. Public X discussions amplify this, with users speculating on "coordination" (e.g., bot-driven narratives post-attack) and deeper probes into Discord/4chan grooming. No forensic reports confirm foreign payments, but OSINT enthusiasts note parallels to MKUltra-style experiments or modern hybrid warfare.Broader Implications and CriticismsCohen's findings, while unsubstantiated beyond promotional clips, tap into 2025 fears of "hybrid threats"—where foreign powers weaponize U.S. cultural divides (e.g., gender wars) via social media. He argues trans/furry spaces are "soft targets" for influence due to high vulnerability (mental health struggles, echo chambers), citing FBI data on elevated violence risks in such groups (though contested). Gideon, he claims, neutralizes this by mapping "influence graphs" without human bias.Critics counter:
Overreach: It's speculative fearmongering to fundraise; no peer-reviewed data supports foreign-trans-furry links.
Bias Risks: AI profiling could target LGBTQ+ youth disproportionately, chilling speech.
Evidence Gaps: Breadcrumbs are circumstantial (e.g., pronouns ≠ causation); deeper foreign ties remain unproven.
For primary sources, check Cohen's X (
@RealAaronCohen
, though sparse on specifics) or his YouTube channel for unedited pitches. If Gideon launches fully, expect more granular "findings"—but treat as advocacy, not settled fact. This narrative underscores tensions in AI surveillance: promise vs. peril.
Comments