Following the online circulation of Hurricane Helene’s aftermath images, a widely seen image emerged purportedly depicting a crying child with a puppy on a boat. This image, shared extensively on the platform X (formerly Twitter), received millions of views, leading to significant emotional reactions. Many users, including several Republicans, criticized the Biden administration’s disaster response. However, some observers noted characteristics suggesting the image was created using generative artificial intelligence tools, pointing to malformed limbs and blurriness typically associated with AI image generators.
During the current election cycle, AI-generated images have appeared frequently on social media, particularly after events with political implications. Analysts monitoring online and electoral activities have observed that such images are often used to support partisan narratives, irrespective of factual accuracy. Community notes on X tagged the image of the child on the boat as likely AI-generated, prompting individuals such as Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) to delete related posts, as reported by Rolling Stone.
Despite the revelation of the image’s AI origins, some individuals persisted in sharing it. Amy Kremer, a Republican National Committee member from Georgia, expressed in a post on X that the image’s source was irrelevant, emphasizing the significance of its representation of trauma and suffering.
According to Renée DiResta, a professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, these AI-generated images serve as political propaganda and expressions of support for specific candidates. These images are frequently adopted and amplified by political campaigns to engage in ongoing online dialogues.
Further AI-generated images, such as those depicting animals on rooftops amid floodwaters, gained traction following Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Former President Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance’s baseless claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio consuming domestic and wild animals prompted the spread of AI images featuring Trump with cats and ducks on social media associated with Republican users.
Generative AI offers a means for supporters to engage with political campaigns online, according to DiResta. The technology’s efficiency and low cost make it an attractive tool for interaction, raising questions about its implications for disseminating political content.
The discussion on AI-generated content extends to philosophical considerations about truth versus facts. Matthew Barnidge, a University of Alabama professor, draws parallels with Western philosophy, where philosophical figures like Kant, Kierkegaard, and Hegel explored concepts of deeper truth beyond factual representation.
The challenge of distinguishing AI-generated images from authentic ones is underscored by Emily Vraga, a health communication researcher at the University of Minnesota. She emphasized that recognizing the authenticity of online images can be difficult, a problem compounded by technological advancements like ChatGPT.
Visually persuasive images can trigger emotional responses before viewers can critically assess their authenticity. This phenomenon is exemplified by past social media portrayals of vaccine needles, which contribute to negative narratives around vaccinations.
Ara Merjian, an art historian at New York University, observed that AI-generated images inhabit a realm between reality and fiction, exemplified by the depiction of Taylor Swift seemingly endorsing Trump. Although not an actual endorsement, such imagery can still influence perceptions due to its visual semblance.
In the shrinking landscape of traditional news media, AI-generated images increasingly populate online spaces. Such content often blurs lines between news and lifestyle, exploited by propagandists to fill voids left by the news industry. While some AI-generated images serve political aims, others, including AI-produced cakes or abstract art, seek attention or exploit viewers’ personal information.
In economically disadvantaged regions, individuals have been found creating AI-generated content to gain traction on platforms like Facebook, sometimes earning more than typical monthly incomes. These content farms produce images that range from realistic to artistic, often appealing to viewers’ emotions.
A politically charged AI-generated image depicting someone resembling Vice President Kamala Harris in communist attire was amplified by Elon Musk, the owner of X. Eddie Perez, a former Twitter employee, stated that such images imply Harris is un-American, reinforcing narratives about the illegitimacy of her political success.
Perez cautioned that generative AI contributes to political polarization, potentially eroding public confidence in electoral processes. This technology, alongside other tools, is part of broader strategies aiming to influence political perceptions, although it neither stands out as uniquely deleterious nor harmless.
