While some users mock the dead dictator, others embrace his bigotry. Generative artificial intelligence is reviving the terrifying legacy of bigots, including former German dictator Adolf Hitler, as TikTok users harness the app’s AI tools to reanimate xenophobic speeches from long-dead leaders. The phenomenon was recently documented in two different reports, one by nonprofit watchdog group Media Matters for America and another in an investigation by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and the SITE Intelligence Group, published by the Washington Post. Both unveiled a small network of accounts creating and disseminating translated, AI-dubbed versions of Hitler’s speeches. According to Media Matters’ research, AI-generated audios have accumulated millions of views, which include videos mocking the leader or those that have turned the audio into a meme. Other accounts appeared to be dedicated to creating and sharing these audios earnestly, sometimes with outrightly anti-Semitic messaging. Popular videos using said audio, often stylized with slowed down and “reverbed” audios, go as far back as April 2024, with several improperly translated. Following the publishing of the report, TikTok removed the account of one known uploader and began directing related searches to a “Facts About the Holocaust” page, which documents Hitler’s slaughter of millions of civilian Jews, disabled people, political prisoners, LGBTQ+ people, and those of Romani origin. The Washington Post reported that known fascist groups have praised the use of AI to spread bigoted propaganda, citing a growth in “red-pilled” young people engaging with hate speech and right-wing communities online. Experts told the publication that they worry platform moderation tools, including those on Meta sites and X, won’t be able to keep up with the AI-assisted spread.
via mashable: TikTok bad actors harness AI to reanimate Hitler’s hate