An international network of spammers are 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 also criticised 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 monetisation (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 monetisation 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.
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 term 'AI slop' refers to low quality AI-generated images and text, usually produced in large volumes and spammed across social media.
The BBC's analysis suggests that Auschwitz has become a popular topic for history-themed pages and groups, often posting more than 50 times a day.
In June, the Auschwitz Museum warned that these accounts were stealing its posts, processing them through AI models and often warping historical details or fabricating narratives and victims entirely. They deemed it a 'dangerous distortion' which 'disrespects victims and harasses their memory'.
Mr. Sawicki expressed concerns that the tsunami of fake images undermines the Auschwitz Memorial's mission to raise awareness of the Holocaust, stating, We already started getting comments on our Facebook posts that 'oh, this is an AI-generated photograph'. Survivors and families are also disturbed by the surge of Holocaust AI slop, according to Dr. Robert Williams, who noted that survivors feel a certain sense of sadness that this has been allowed to happen despite investments into awareness campaigns.
While Meta does not encourage posting false stories, its system rewards posts with high engagement, contributing to this troubling trend. As investigations continue, the ethical ramifications of AI technology in relation to sensitive historical topics remain a pressing concern.
