Pablo Jost (@pjost.bsky.social)

The Weaponisation of AI: Visual storytelling of the Great Replacement Conspiracy Theory Amid the Southport Riots - GNET Artificial intelligence played a key role in the riots that followed the stabbing attack in Southport, UK, which claimed the lives of three young girls on 29 July 2024. By facilitating the circulation of fake news and racist conspiracy theories, algorithmic systems of recommendation mobilised hundreds of people to target asylum seeker facilities and harass perceived racialised migrants, particularly Muslims. The process of mass radicalisation accelerated and amplified by AI resulted in the “worst wave of far-right violence in the UK post-war.” Although much has been said about recommendation systems, the influence of Generative AI remains largely overlooked. This Insight seeks to address this gap by examining how both algorithmic systems of recommendation and GenAI tools were weaponised through the visual storytelling of the great replacement conspiracy theory. https://gnet-research.org/2025/07/16/the-weaponisation-of-ai-visual-storytelling-of-the-great-replacement-conspiracy-theory-amid-the-southport-riots/