Spammers Exploit AI to Create Holocaust Images, Distressing Survivors

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.

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. 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 has tracked many of these images to the accounts of a network of Pakistan-based content creators who collaborate closely on how to make money on Facebook. They are gaming Meta's content monetization (CM) program, an invite-only system which pays users for high-performing content and views.

One account named Abdul Mughees, listed as living in Pakistan, posted screenshots claiming to have earned $20,000 through social media monetization schemes, including Meta's. Another post appears to show the account accrued more than 1.2bn views on content across the span of four months. We have not been able to independently verify any creator's earnings.

Among the many Facebook posts from Abdul Mughees' account are several AI generated photos of fictional Holocaust victims and fake stories that included a child hiding under floorboards or a baby being left on train tracks outside a concentration camp. The BBC's analysis of the online activities of the account and dozens of others like it suggests they are posting almost exclusively AI slop.

The term refers to low quality AI-generated images and text, usually produced in large volumes and spammed across social media.

Auschwitz has become a popular topic for history-themed pages and groups. Some with names such as Timeless Tales and History Haven were posting more than 50 times a day. In June, the Auschwitz Museum warned accounts like these were stealing its posts, processing them through AI models and often warping historical details or fabricating narratives and victims entirely. In a Facebook post, the Museum said these images were a dangerous distortion which disrespects victims and harasses their memory.

Mr Sawicki said the tsunami of fake images was undermining the Auschwitz Memorial's mission to raise awareness of the Holocaust. We already started getting comments on our Facebook posts that 'oh, this is an AI-generated photograph', he said.

Survivors and families are also disturbed by the surge of Holocaust AI slop, according to an organization promoting Holocaust education and research. They don't quite understand what they're seeing... Survivors feel a certain sense of sadness this has been allowed to happen, said Dr. Robert Williams, from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Meta has stated that while it does not intentionally encourage users to post false stories, its system rewards posts with high engagement. The BBC has also found AI slop accounts based in India, Vietnam, Thailand, and Nigeria. The BBC asked Meta about several profiles that had posted Holocaust-themed AI content and also appeared to have engaged in deceptive practices. Several of the profiles and groups were removed, including ones originally flagged by the Auschwitz Memorial in June. A spokesperson for the tech giant said while those fake images did not violate its content policies, it investigated them and found they broke its rules around impersonation or trading of pages.

AI has been used in the past to commemorate the Holocaust and bring real victims' stories to life, but Dr Williams warns there's a risk this can contribute to a sense that Holocaust history is somehow fabricated. Any form of extreme manipulation is something that we should shy away from, he said.