Recently, generated illustrations have begun to be actively posted on social networks, which some believe reflect on the reputation of Ukraine. In the captions to such images they try to assure that this is exactly how artificial intelligence perceives reality in Ukraine. However, this is manipulation.

Specialists from the Beyond the News project drew attention to it. They explained that the artificial intelligence generates an image based on the information it has been taught, the user queries entered, and the instructions provided. For example, for the query “Polar bears counting money in the Arctic”, the AI will easily create images with elements corresponding to these words. Understanding this process should convince people of the importance of reviewing content before sharing it, especially if it is accompanied by emotional headlines and AI-generated images.

Unfortunately, it is not always easy to identify the author of generated images that present Ukraine in a negative light. According to project specialists, there is a possibility that this may be an initiative of Russian users. Owners of Ukrainian social networking groups that publish such content may even unintentionally help the enemy. They do this for the purpose of gaining reach, abuse and shares, since emotional content is the easiest to attract people's attention during a difficult period.

Propagandists create such information campaigns to test the reaction of Ukrainians and create a negative impression of Ukraine. They say that even the AI, which is led in the West, understands what problems Ukraine has.