Manipulative claims about Ukrainians spread through a popular AI trend on TikTok
An information campaign using AI-generated content has been detected in the German-speaking segment of TikTok, promoting manipulative claims about the alleged privileged status of Ukrainian refugees in Germany.
▫️ To maximize reach, the creators are exploiting a popular trend that features a series of videos with anthropomorphic characters generated by artificial intelligence.
▫️ The main characters are AI-generated figures in the shape of the maps of Germany and Ukraine. Nearly all of the videos revolve around the same manipulative narrative: that Ukrainian refugees allegedly enjoy numerous privileges at the expense of German citizens. The videos claim that Ukrainians receive better jobs and higher salaries, have priority access to healthcare, receive generous social benefits and housing, and enjoy other advantages, while Germans are supposedly forced to live under worsening conditions because of financial support for Ukraine.
▫️ Each video ends with an emotional scene in which the “Germany” character demands an end to aid for Kyiv and calls for Ukrainian refugees to be expelled from the country. In this way, the creators systematically lead audiences to believe that Ukrainians are supposedly responsible for Germany’s economic and social problems.
Although this content is presented as humorous and created as part of a popular AI trend, it can have a real impact on public opinion. Such videos enable manipulative narratives to be spread subtly to a wide audience, fuel negative attitudes toward Ukrainian refugees, and build support for reducing assistance to Ukraine.
The Center previously identified a series of manipulative videos in the German-speaking segment of TikTok portraying Ukrainians as a supposedly “privileged group” that enjoys greater rights than German citizens.
