A telling example of the influence of generative materials was the Iran-Israel conflict of 2025. In the first hours after the situation had escalated, realistic images of destruction generated by neural networks began appearing online. Generative images of downed fighter jets and bombers, as well as videos of the aftermath of missile strikes, were widely shared. They garnered millions of views, creating a pseudo-witness effect. Users quickly picked up such content and shared it not so much because they trusted the content, but because of its “relevance” to the context of the events.
Similar scenarios are observed in other conflict regions. The clashes between India and Pakistan in the spring of 2025 and the Cambodian-Thai border conflict illustrated similar user behaviour. During each conflict, the visual environment was altered. Even before real footage appeared, a stream of “simulacra” was emerging.
However, the reach of AI spam is significantly broader than international conflicts. It can affect any event that attracts public attention, taking up a portion of the information space. For example, in the fall of 2024, during Hurricane Helene in the United States, a significant portion of social media posts were accompanied by AI-generated messages, hindering the dissemination of official information during the emergency. A similar trend was observed during the 2024–2025 election campaigns, particularly during the US presidential election and the German parliamentary elections. Competing political forces flooded the visual media space with satirical or deliberately artificial images discrediting their opponents.
From a theoretical perspective, the artificial visualisation of international processes was conceptualised by 20th-century philosophers even before the advent of the digital age. But while during the Gulf War described by Jean Baudrillard, privileged media companies with access to the conflict region were responsible for creating “hyperreality,” today’s simulacra are the result of networked interactions with generative content. A significant factor contributing to this networked response is the information gap created by restrictions on the photographic and video recording of emergency situations or military clashes.
AI spam doesn’t directly distort facts. Rather, it fills information gaps, replacing reporting when factual evidence is scarce or difficult to obtain. As a result, millions of users receive the illusion of presence, a picture credible enough to elicit an emotional response. Thus, global politics is moving toward a state of postmodern communication based on emotional stimuli rather than verifiable facts.
In practice, the algorithmic structure of digital platforms plays a key role in the spread of generative spam: visual and emotional content is prioritised, making spam essentially an integrated element of the digital ecosystem. Novelty and visual appeal automatically boost rankings, thus creating a vicious cycle of content generation, mass distribution, and algorithmic promotion.
The Valdai Discussion Club was established in 2004. It is named after Lake Valdai, which is located close to Veliky Novgorod, where the Club’s first meeting took place.
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