Social media is increasingly circulating fictitious, AI-generated images of the Holocaust, which are designed to provoke a strong emotional reaction from viewers. These images, known as “AI slop,” spread rapidly because they trigger profound emotional reactions and receive a lot of clicks. In turn, the platforms reward those who generate a lot of clicks financially.
A January 20, 2026 report by NDR in the Hamburg Journal now shows why memorial sites view this development critically. Media researcher Jan-Hinrik Schmidt explains why the number of generative AI-generated images is currently increasing:
“Social media platforms currently have little interest in regulating content of any kind. Ultimately, this has to do with the changed circumstances in the US, where interventions in social media communication by Donald Trump et al. are always readily branded as interference with freedom of expression.”
Click here to watch the report “KI-generierte Holocaust-Verfälschungen fluten Social Media” [AI-Generated Holocaust Distortions on Social Media Platforms] (only in German).