Ex-Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar Joins Israeli AI Firm SpringAI
Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar has joined the Israeli artificial intelligence company SpringAI as an advisor, according to sources. Bar concluded his tenure as head of the General Security Service on June 15, 2025, after a career that included senior roles such as head of operations and deputy chief.
SpringAI, founded in 2025, develops technology to analyze how social media algorithms distribute content. The company focuses on identifying posts and videos that receive unusual exposure, particularly patterns that may indicate attempts to interfere in political discourse and shape public opinion. Their system estimates a video's expected views under neutral conditions, comparing this projection to actual exposure to flag content that has received an "unusual push."
While the company presents its technology as a tool for detecting artificial promotion, coordinated activity, and political influence operations, it notes that unusual exposure alone does not prove intentional action. SpringAI has not yet published extensive external validation of its models or data that would allow for the replication of its findings. In 2025, the company published an analysis of content exposure on TikTok related to the New York City mayoral race, suggesting that content supporting one candidate or attacking another received higher-than-expected exposure.
The company's target market is reportedly Western democracies. SpringAI is led by CEO and co-founder Omer Kafri, CTO Yonatan Dudales, and co-founder and director Brig. Gen. (res.) Rami Ben-Ephraim. SpringAI is affiliated with BNF Group, a holding company founded by Ben-Ephraim that invests in cyber, AI, and security ventures.
Ben-Ephraim, a former fighter pilot, previously held senior positions in the Israeli Air Force and later worked at Check Point and Rafael. He co-founded Blue Ocean in 2017, a cyber company that developed offensive cyber tools for intelligence gathering, which was reported on in 2023. In contrast, SpringAI's activities focus on algorithm analysis and influence operations on social networks.
In July 2025, Ben-Ephraim represented BNF Group at a special European Parliament committee discussing the threats of generative AI to democratic processes. SpringAI's technology was presented in this context. In 2026, SpringAI registered with the EU's transparency register, which tracks organizations seeking to influence EU policy. The company also operates the Dawn app, a research tool for measuring social media usage patterns, which collects personal data, location, IP addresses, and device activity for research and development purposes.
