Anti-immigration AI videos traced to overseas fakers, BBC finds

"The “Great British People” Facebook page, which purports to be from Yorkshire, has had 1.3 million views for its latest video of an elderly white British man crying about his pension. Other videos show reporters discussing “the overwhelming scale of mass immigration” and asking viewers if they miss “the Britain we used to know”. But it is not clear whether the creator of the videos knows the UK at all: the account is really run by someone based in Sri Lanka."

"It is one of dozens of interconnected Facebook and Instagram accounts identified by BBC Panorama and the Top Comment podcast, which create and share anti-immigration AI-generated posts about the UK to large audiences - but the creators are often located hundreds or thousands of miles away. Several are from Sri Lanka, the US and elsewhere in Europe, while others are in Vietnam and the Maldives, or linked to Iran and the UAE, according to information from Facebook's transparency tools, interviews with the content creators and other tell-tale signs on social media such as spelling and accounts they follow."

"One expert told the BBC that research shows people are worse at detecting AI fakes than they think, and the more AI content they see, the more likely they are to distrust authentic material. London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan - who has commissioned research into AI-generated images showing the capital in decline, which he says harm the city's reputation abroad - said while some of the people behind the accounts are motivated merely by money, others are backed by hostile states such as Russia and Iran."

"It is difficult to verify claims of direct state involvement, but a handful of the accounts do share posts sympathetic towards the Russian and Iranian governments. The owners of the accounts did not respond to the BBC's attempts to contact them. Several accounts have repurposed their pages, seemingly to increase engagement, switching from topics such as “Make America Great Again”"

A Facebook page claiming to represent Yorkshire has gained large view counts for AI-generated posts featuring an elderly man crying about pensions. Other posts include claims about mass immigration and nostalgia for “the Britain we used to know.” The account appears to be operated by someone based in Sri Lanka, and it is part of a network of interconnected Facebook and Instagram accounts. These accounts create and share anti-immigration AI-generated material aimed at large audiences while creators are often located hundreds or thousands of miles away. Transparency tools, interviews, and social media indicators suggest locations across Sri Lanka, the US, Europe, Vietnam, the Maldives, and links to Iran and the UAE. Research indicates people detect AI fakes less well than they expect, and repeated exposure increases distrust of genuine content. Some accounts may be supported by hostile states, though direct involvement is difficult to verify.

Read at www.bbc.com