The Fog of Disaster Is Getting Worse – The Atlantic https://t.co/sHGDaM1VHU
— Professor Lucy Easthope (@LucyGoBag) October 6, 2024
Hurricane Helene has caused widespread destruction across the Southeast, leaving at least 215 people dead and many communities in ruins. However, amidst the devastation, a different image has captured the attention of right-wing influencers and politicians. The picture shows a crying girl clutching a puppy in a boat, supposedly adrift in floodwaters.
"The aftermath of Hurricane Helene has shown that, even as technology has theoretically improved our capacity to connect with other people, our visibility into what’s happening on the ground may be deteriorating," @juliettekayyem writes https://t.co/F70bZXQSPM
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) October 5, 2024
It has been widely shared on social media, with many using it to criticize the Biden-Harris administration’s response to the disaster. Senator Mike Lee of Utah posted the picture on X, inviting his followers to express their outrage at the government. However, after being informed that the image was AI-generated and not of a real person or dog, he deleted the post.
fake pictures of destruction in Asheville are flooding Facebook as a ploy to get people to buy AI-generated pictures on Etsy https://t.co/BnUjIOvd95
— Quercia (@danielequercia) October 5, 2024
Other right-wing figures, such as Amy Kremer and columnist Buzz Patterson, have left the misleading picture up and even defended it.
Hurricane Helene incites AI controversy
Kremer stated, “I don’t know where this photo came from and honestly, it doesn’t matter.
There are people going through much worse than what is shown in this pic. So I’m leaving it because it is emblematic of the trauma and pain people are living through right now.”
Hurricane Helene Deepfakes Flooding Social Media Hurt Real People
This photo is obviously AI generated and a bad one at that. Stop falling for this garbage.https://t.co/nGsMfqhrvE
— Ted Corcoran (RedTRaccoon) (@RedTRaccoon) October 4, 2024
The use of AI-generated images to stoke political outrage is becoming a core strategy for some groups, aiming to evoke emotional responses and backlash. Last month, Trump supporters circulated AI-generated images falsely accusing Haitian immigrants of stealing and eating local pets.
Former President Trump has added to the controversy, alleging that the White House “stole” money from FEMA to fund assistance for illegal migrants, echoing claims from 2019. FEMA has assured that it has enough resources for immediate response and recovery. As the use of AI technology in political discourse continues, questions remain about the potential for manipulative creations to emerge in the lead-up to the elections.
The conversation highlights the complexities of disaster response, technology’s role in shaping public perception, and ongoing political strategies that utilize misinformation.
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