An international network of spammers is posting AI-generated images of Holocaust victims on Facebook, a BBC investigation into AI slop has found.
Organisations dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust say the images are leaving survivors and families distressed.
They have criticized Facebook's parent company Meta, saying it allows users to turn the atrocity into an emotional game. There are only a handful of genuine photos from inside the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War Two.
But in recent months, AI spammers have posted fake images purporting to be from inside the camp, such as a prisoner playing a violin or lovers meeting at the boundaries of fences - 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.
Other organizations promoting Holocaust education have raised concerns, with survivors feeling increasingly unsettled by the increasing AI-generated content.
The BBC tracked many images to Pakistan-based creators who exploit Meta's monetization schemes by creating and sharing low-quality AI content.
While the images might not directly violate Facebook's policies, their proliferation undermines the mission to educate others about the Holocaust and respect its legacy.
Meta's transparency measures have led to the removal of several deceptive accounts, but the technology's capacity for misuse raises significant ethical questions about how history is represented and commemorated online.
