The AfD has defended its use of repulsive footage created with the help of artificial intelligence. These recordings often look deceptively like real photos, but are created within minutes by image generators. Such images served to “illustrate political opinions,” said parliamentary group leader Norbert Kleinwaechter of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (FAZ). It is quite intentional that “stereotypes are served”.
Kleinwaechter recently published a depiction of a climate activist on the Instagram online service, who sits roaring on the street with his chest bare and a wild beard while passers-by flee in the background. “It is a prototypical representation of what one imagines in the ranks of the AfD as climate activists,” said Kleinwächter. However, the picture was “recognizable as a caricature”. The presentation is accompanied by the statement “Climate lunatics accept deaths!” overwritten.
Kleinwächter also published AI-generated images of angry, screaming migrants. He was “very, very grateful” for the new technology, said the AfD faction leader of the newspaper. A representation of the face of Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), distorted into a grimace, can also be found on Kleinwächter’s Instagram channel.
The AfD member of the Bundestag Roger Beckamp also uses AI-generated images on Instagram, as he confirmed to the “FAZ”. One of his employees creates these images using the “Midjourney” image generator – also because it is very inexpensive.
A spokesman for the AfD told the newspaper on request that the party had no information on how many artificially generated photos had been played out on the AfD’s own social media channels. “We use free image databases, we do not check whether they contain AI images. They are also only symbolic images,” said the spokesman accordingly.
Midjourney’s service uses artificial intelligence to generate highly realistic-looking images based on written user specifications. In the past few days, an artificially created image of Pope Francis in a shiny white down jacket and one showing the arrest of ex-US President Donald Trump have caused a stir.
Due to repeated misuse of the software, the AI image generator Midjourney has since restricted its services. Also, the offer of a free trial has been suspended.
