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How fake AI images sparked the Southport riots

This video breaks down the Southport riots of 2024 - exposing fake AI images, anti-Muslim conspiracies and the real-world violence sparked by viral false visuals.
This video breaks down the Southport riots of 2024 - exposing fake AI images, anti-Muslim conspiracies and the real-world violence sparked by viral false visuals.
Tuesday 14 October 2025 | 5 minutes 29 seconds

In this video, we break down the Southport riots of 2024 β€” and how generative AI misinformation played a shocking role in fuelling UK civil unrest. From AI-generated fake images to spreading anti-Muslim and anti-Islam conspiracy theories, this explainer unpacks how false visuals spread online and ignited real-world violence.

Was this a case of AI and social unrest colliding? Or a warning about how generative AI controversy in the UK could shape our future? LSE Fellow Beatriz Lopez Buarque explores how the Southport riots started on X and ended in the worst far-right rioting we have seen in the UK since the Second World War and how it is more important than ever that there is fact-checking in place on social media platforms.

New videos every month on AI, technology and their impact on society πŸ‘‰ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK4elntcUEy1_ckZz-Q1KjWvVSVOFXkh9 Read more here: https://www.lse.ac.uk/AI

In this video, we break down the Southport riots of 2024 β€” and how generative AI misinformation played a shocking role in fuelling UK civil unrest. From AI-generated fake images to spreading anti-Muslim and anti-Islam conspiracy theories, this explainer unpacks how false visuals spread online and ignited real-world violence.

Was this a case of AI and social unrest colliding? Or a warning about how generative AI controversy in the UK could shape our future? LSE Fellow Beatriz Lopez Buarque explores how the Southport riots started on X and ended in the worst far-right rioting we have seen in the UK since the Second World War and how it is more important than ever that there is fact-checking in place on social media platforms.

New videos every month on AI, technology and their impact on society πŸ‘‰ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK4elntcUEy1_ckZz-Q1KjWvVSVOFXkh9 Read more here: https://www.lse.ac.uk/AI