Overseas fakers using AI videos to push a narrative of UK decline, BBC finds

Meta states it takes coordinated inauthentic behaviour seriously and will take action on content or accounts that violate Community Standards; the company emphasizes enforcement regardless of whether content is AI-generated and supports labeling of AI content.

Prof Sander van der Linden calls the phenomenon a 'new evolution of influence operations' driven by paid actors and AI content; Prof Yvonne McDermott Rees notes public detection of fakes is imperfect (about 55% accuracy), with people often endorsing content that resonates with their world-view.

A West Midlands-based account operator says they coordinate with other accounts from India, Pakistan, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand via group chats to decide what to post and when.

The creators behind 2050-themed content say their aim is to inform voters about possible futures; some claim not to monetise their accounts, while others acknowledge earning money via engagement and follower growth.

Creators publish AI-generated videos from the point of view of people walking through British cities in 2050, with foreign cities like New York, Washington DC, and some European capitals portrayed similarly.

Examples include AI-generated videos of the House of Commons occupied by men in traditional Arab clothing imposing Sharia law, and fake interviews with women in hijabs arguing the UK must be more Islamic.

Several accounts repurposed pages that previously covered topics like 'Make America Great Again' or 'Life in the USA' to push anti-immigration narratives, while some content is occasionally sympathetic to migrants.

Researchers and City Hall point to two main motives: monetising and profiting from division, and support from or alignment with hostile states such as Russia and Iran.

Facebook transparency tools indicate that many accounts are based in Sri Lanka, with others in Vietnam, the Maldives, Iran, the UAE, the US, and various European countries; some UK-based activity is also noted.

The BBC reports on the 'Great British People' Facebook page, allegedly from Yorkshire but run by someone in Sri Lanka, which has 1.3 million views for a video of an elderly white British man crying about his pension. Other videos feature reporters discussing immigration and nostalgia for a past Britain. The page and related content are linked to creators in Sri Lanka, the US, Europe, Vietnam, the Maldives, and connections to Iran and the UAE, according to Facebook transparency tools and interviews.

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan commissions research into AI-generated images showing the capital in decline, amid concerns about potential reputational harm abroad.