How artificial intelligence turned the war in Ukraine into a show of emotions
In the 1980s, people envisioned a future where they would be battling terminators. The reality has proven to be far more mundane. Alongside combating the russian military, Ukrainians now face a surge of crudely AI-generated fakes.
Recently, social networks have been inundated with a series of emotional, hyper-realistic images accompanying texts about the war in Ukraine. These images, meant to evoke strong emotions, are incredibly realistic and striking (this is sarcasm on our part!) In fact, they are just too artistic to be mistaken for real ruins and people. The aim is to elicit sympathy and emotional responses from viewers.
Many Ukrainians, sharing these images en masse, genuinely hope to move foreigners to increase their support for Ukraine. However, this approach backfires. At best, people will ignore these images; at worst, they will become frustrated and distance themselves from your worries and issues.
Mass-produced emotional images do not foster sympathy but rather cause aversion. The world admires winners, and excessive emotional pleas can be counterproductive due to emotional fatigue. When people repeatedly see similar artificial images, they become desensitized and may stop responding altogether.
Moreover, these images were neither created by Ukrainians nor used to depict the war against this so-called russia. They were initially circulated online by members of the “Free Palestine” movement earlier this year, particularly in March, to illustrate the destruction in the Gaza Strip. Thus, these images have absolutely no connection to Ukraine.
If you want to resonate with people in the West, show them the truth. Genuine videos and photos from the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv, for instance, can evoke genuine horror and a call to action: “What horror! The russians must be stopped!” But what reaction will tearful AI-generated images provoke?
While this series of images is clearly fabricated, it is crucial to remember that even a small lie amid terrible truths can undermine the credibility of all information presented 
