An international network of spammers are posting AI-generated images of Holocaust victims on Facebook, a BBC investigation into AI slop has found.
Organizations dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust say the images are leaving survivors and families distressed.
They have also criticized Facebook's parent company Meta, saying it allows users on its platform to turn the atrocity into an emotional game.
In recent months, AI spammers have posted fake images purporting to be from inside Auschwitz concentration camp, attracting tens of thousands of likes and shares.
Here we have somebody making up the stories… for some kind of strange emotional game that is happening on social media, said Pawel Sawicki, a spokesperson for the Auschwitz Memorial in Poland. This is not a game. This is a real world, real suffering and real people that we want to and need to commemorate.
The BBC investigation tracked these images to a network of Pakistan-based content creators exploiting Meta's monetization program. Some accounts reportedly earned significant sums from these posts, while Holocaust survivors expressed sadness over the distortion of their history.
Despite efforts from the Auschwitz Museum to alert Meta about these accounts, many continue to spread disinformation. The proliferation of AI-generated imagery is raising alarms over the potential for misinformation regarding the Holocaust.
Dr. Robert Williams from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance noted that this could lead to perceptions that Holocaust history is fabricated, undermining educational efforts. Advocates emphasize the importance of authentic representation of historical events.
