London, United Kingdom: BBC Panorama exposed overseas operators creating AI-generated videos that spread anti-immigration messages in the UK, reaching millions of social media users.
The “Great British People” Facebook page, claiming to be from Yorkshire, posted a video featuring people over 70 lamenting their pensions, which garnered 1.3 million views. Meta’s transparency tools show that the account is operated from Sri Lanka.
Investigators traced dozens of Facebook and Instagram accounts to Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the Maldives, the US, Europe, and some linked to Iran and the UAE. Creators converted pages from US political topics to UK anti-immigration content.
AI videos depict UK cities in 2050 with streets filled with trash, people wearing Islamic clothing, staged interviews, and fake protests. Other videos idealise countries such as Iran.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said some social media accounts operate with backing from hostile states, including Russia and Iran. Others operate solely for profit, generating ad revenue from social media engagement.
Read: U.S. AI Security Test Deletion Sparks Questions
Experts at the University of Cambridge and Queen’s University Belfast said users detect AI fakes with only 55% accuracy. People often share content if it matches their beliefs, even when they suspect it is fake.
Meta confirmed that it removes accounts and content that violate its standards, whether AI-generated or human-made.
