New Delhi — A troubling trend is gaining ground in Indian social media: AI-generated images that spread anti-Muslim hate are rising fast, and experts warn the damage could be deep and long-lasting.
A recent study by the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate (CSOH) found 1,326 posts between May 2023 and May 2025, created by 297 different public accounts, all designed to target Muslims using synthetic visuals. These weren’t random images — the goal was consistent: to dehumanize and stigmatize a religious community.
Here’s what stood out:
- The hate content clustered under four major themes: sexualizing Muslim women; calling Muslims inherently violent or dangerous; pushing conspiracy theories like “Love Jihad,” “Population Jihad,” “Rail Jihad”; and using images that aestheticize or normalize violence.
- Muslim women bore much of the brunt — images sexualizing them saw the highest engagement, racking up 6.7 million interactions.
- The platforms where these posts appeared most were Instagram and X, with Facebook trailing. Although many posts clearly broke community guidelines, almost none were taken down.
- AI didn’t create new prejudices, but it made existing ones easier to spread — faster, cheaper, harder to trace. The technology accelerated scaling of hate content.
The report warns the stakes are high. For many Indian Muslims, this flood of hateful AI images isn’t just online harassment — it’s contributing to fear, exclusion, and even violence. It underscores how digital tools are now being weaponized.
Experts urge social media platforms, regulators, and civil society to catch up: stronger content moderation, clearer laws, better AI oversight, and public education so people can spot and call out harmful synthetic content. Because when images lie, they can change the story people believe.
Full Report : https://www.csohate.org/2025/09/29/ai-generated-hate-in-india/
