Episode 62: AI Slop and the New Fascist Aesthetic with Roland Meyer
Mar 11, 2025
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Roland Meyer, a professor of digital cultures and arts, explores the curious allure of AI-generated imagery, particularly among right-wing groups. He discusses how these images shape cultural and political narratives, often blending aspirational aesthetics with reality. Meyer critiques the biases in AI models and connects the homogenization of beauty standards to historical eugenics. The conversation touches on race representation in AI, societal pressures on femininity, and even humorously looks at an AI-generated Pope Francis image, revealing complex cultural clashes.
AI-generated imagery has become a significant tool in political messaging, particularly among right-wing groups, reflecting ideological alignment and communication strategies.
The aesthetic qualities of AI images often distort authenticity and perpetuate societal stereotypes, particularly in their representations of race and gender.
The adoption of AI imagery by right-wing movements serves not only as a cultural shift but also as a strategic means to solidify extremist narratives and collective identities.
Deep dives
The Rise of AI Imagery in Political Discourse
AI-generated imagery has increasingly become a fixture in political communication, particularly within certain online communities. This trend is most observable on platforms like X, where specific right-wing groups enthusiastically embrace AI imagery for their messaging, which can signal ideological alignments to viewers. However, the response to AI content varies greatly, with some embracing it as a powerful communication tool, while others reject it as insincere or frivolous. The polarization around AI usage points to a deeper cultural division regarding technology's role in shaping political narratives.
Wish Fulfillment Versus Disinformation
Right-wing communities often utilize AI imagery as a form of wish fulfillment, crafting idealized versions of political figures that serve to bolster their narratives. For instance, a notable AI-generated image depicted Donald Trump in a kingly guise, illustrating a glorified view that aligns with the desires of his supporters. This portrayal transcends mere political discourse; it taps into a collective fantasy that aims to reshape reality in a way that pleases the audience. Therefore, even when AI imagery strays from disinformation to solely represent a desired reality, it still functions to reinforce existing biases and political ideals.
The Aesthetic Qualities and Biases of AI Imagery
AI-generated imagery often exhibits a peculiar blend of aesthetics drawn from diverse cultural references, merging the nostalgic with the contemporary. The images are frequently characterized by hyperreal, almost glossy finishes that distort authenticity and shape viewers' perceptions, mimicking the visual language found in stock photography or gaming. Furthermore, these technologies inadvertently perpetuate ideological biases, reflecting the narrow set of aesthetic preferences that dominate the training data. Consequently, the resulting imagery frequently lacks diversity and continues to reinforce societal stereotypes, particularly in relation to race and gender.
AI in Gender and Racial Representation
The use of AI imagery provides insights into how digital culture can reflect and exacerbate existing societal biases, particularly regarding gender and race. Many AI-generated images depict women in ways that align with traditional stereotypes, often idealized and homogenized, suggesting a skewed version of femininity. This aesthetic standardization raises concerns about the normative narratives being perpetuated, as it effectively erases nuances of real women’s identities. Additionally, the technology often falls short in accurately representing racial diversity, leading to an erasure of complexity that challenges established racial identities in visual narratives.
AI Imagery as a Tool of Fascism
The proliferation of AI-generated imagery has broader implications that must be considered, particularly as it becomes intertwined with fascist aesthetics. The right-wing movement's embrace of AI slop is not merely a cultural phenomenon but a strategic tool for creating imagery that reflects their desires for a homogeneous political identity. This process not only facilitates the visualization of extremist ideas but also forms collective beliefs about identity and societal norms. Therefore, the mainstreaming of AI imagery within these ideological frameworks signifies a concerning shift in how visual representation is harnessed to bolster far-right narratives.
Why have our new right-wing overlords taken such a shine to chintzy, shiny AI slop? What is persuasive about these phony, artless, slightly desperate images? How do they originate, and how do they circulate? For this episode, Moira and Adrian are joined by Roland Meyer, who is a professor of digital cultures and arts at the University of Zurich and the University of the Arts in Zurich, Switzerland. If you're trying to picture the kinds of image they're discussing, it might be helpful to check out Roland's huge thread on Bluesky. And if you're trying to follow along with our discussion of specific images, we have collected a bunch of the examples we discuss in the episode here.
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