isDays after an AI-generated image urging people to “Pay attention to Rafah” went viral on Instagram, dozens of posts that appear to have been created using artificial intelligence have been shared across the social media platform.
According to NBC News, the images circulating online include a mix of pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian posts, with some mimicking the original “Pay attention to Rafah” image, while others are more graphic, including one depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu covered in blood.
One post showed an image of a large crowd with the words “Bring them home now,” referring to Israeli hostages in Gaza.
The wave of AI-generated images comes after a “Spotlight on Rafah” post was shared more than 47 million times by Instagram users, including celebrities such as Bella Hadid and Nicola Coughlan. The images began circulating on the social media platform following public outrage over the deaths of at least 45 Palestinians in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, which is located in the southern Gaza Strip near the Egyptian border and has been designated a humanitarian zone for civilians.
Some have criticized the use of AI in the “Focus on Rafah” images, saying they glamorize the devastation in Gaza, while others say the AI-generated images were a workaround for social media algorithm guidelines that limit graphic content, which could have made it difficult for activists to share war-related imagery.
According to NBC News, after the “Focus on Rafa” image went viral, many pro-Israel images began being shared on social media. As is typical with AI-generated content, these posts often have overlapping or blurred visual features. Some of the people who posted the images acknowledged using AI in their creation.
Some Israeli media reported on Wednesday that a pro-Israel Instagram post created in response to the “Find out Rafa” image had been removed from Instagram. The AI-generated image showed a Hamas militant standing next to a baby in a puddle of blood and a burning Israeli flag, with the text “Where were your eyes on October 7th?” The Times of Israel reported that the post had been reinstated on the social media platform, with Meta saying the image did not violate guidelines and was removed by mistake.
Meta has previously said it aims to mark content created by artificial intelligence on its platform, but the posts analyzed by NBC News were not labeled as having been generated by AI.
