It is unsurprising that generative AI is being used to churn out atrocity propaganda to manufacture consent for imperial war projects, because these new technologies lend themselves perfectly to the task of creating realistic-looking video footage of events which never transpired.
A new AI-driven atrocity propaganda effort targeting Iran has emerged, showcased in the film “Dreams of Violets” at the Tribeca film festival.
Variety describes this movie as “the first full-length, live-action film generated by AI to be accepted by a major film festival,” outlining its story as follows:
“The film, which will premiere June 10 during the festival’s 25th anniversary, is a 75-minute docudrama inspired by the protests that swept Tehran in January, highlighting five Iranians who meet in a Tehran alley before they’re executed, all witnessed from a window by Amir, a 10-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. The clashes reflect the real-world protests between Iranian authorities and civilians, which left at least 7,000 people dead and more than 50,000 people arrested, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency.”
The trailer shows sympathetic figures suffering harshly at the hands of Iranian officials, ending with fighter jets flying overhead as a Persian voiceover with English subtitles says, “If Iran gets liberated, celebrate for me. Enjoy it for us!”
Tribeca co-founder Jane Rosenthal expressed great enthusiasm about this “docudrama” and its broader impact, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “At this time in history when both artificial intelligence and Iran are central to global conversation, this film offers audiences a rare and intimate perspective into a conflict many have not been able to fully see or understand.”
Now, thanks to completely fabricated AI-generated footage, the conflict can be “seen and understood.” How perfectly convenient.
This release comes as a follow-up to our previous coverage of another AI-driven propaganda initiative called Generative AI for Good, which fabricates deepfake videos of women alleging sexual assault by Iranian forces to justify war.
The Canary reports:
“An Israel-based AI firm, Generative AI for Good, claims to be using deepfake technologies for positive ends. ‘Positive’ appears to mean creating deepfake videos to help the illegal US-Israel war on Iran…
“Generative AI for Good claims that it uses AI to ‘help survivors testify safely — in their real voice, without revealing their identity’. But Israel and its mouthpieces have been shown to have used false allegations of rapes and other atrocities on 7 October 2023 to justify its genocide in Gaza.”
The Canary further points out that Generative AI for Good is run by Israelis advancing clear agendas, including a creative director promoting the discredited narrative regarding mass rapes on October 7, a marketing manager formerly part of the IDF’s “Psychotechnical Headquarter,” and a founder who declared earlier this year that “Artificial intelligence is a secret weapon of ours” in leveraging advanced technology to support military campaigns both online and on ground amid the ongoing Gaza conflict.
Given all this, it’s no surprise that generative AI is being exploited to produce atrocity propaganda aimed at securing public approval for imperialist wars. These tools are ideally suited for fabricating highly credible video evidence of events that never actually occurred. For those looking to elicit emotional reactions and direct anger against targeted governments, generative AI offers an inexpensive and efficient method.
We are just beginning to witness the initial examples of how AI-generated videos will serve to influence public perception in favor of imperial interests. What we see now represents a mere fraction of the deluge that is swiftly approaching.
Original article: caitlinjohnstone.com.au
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