How the Far Right is Exploiting Artificial Intelligence in Germany’s Elections
Artificial intelligence is infiltrating all fields and being harnessed for various purposes, the latest of which is influencing voters before elections in an open battle to win votes.
This is precisely what is happening in Germany ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for next Sunday. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is currently ranking second in opinion polls, is leveraging artificial intelligence to gain votes.
“Do you remember how beautiful Germany once was?” This question is posed in a video shared by far-right chancellor candidate Alice Weidel, depicting a country that never actually existed—because the video was entirely generated by artificial intelligence.
The nostalgic scenes in the video include a small girl with fine hair smiling with bright eyes, set against a backdrop illuminated by misty Christmas lights and a tree adorned with decorations; a young blonde woman joyfully dancing in an embroidered blouse; children laughing and playing on a bus on their way to school, their faces glowing with happiness.
According to the American magazine Politico, AI-generated content like this helps the anti-immigration AfD party make its vision seem extraordinarily appealing.
Ahead of Germany’s February 23 elections, in which the AfD is expected to secure over 20% of the vote, senior party politicians have been publishing and sharing a large number of AI-generated images and videos to boost the party’s chances.
Norbert Kleinwächter, an AfD member of parliament who has been among the most active in sharing AI-generated content, told Politico: “It’s about showing what life could look like with the AfD in power and how that compares to what would happen if we don’t take control.”
He added: “We don’t just describe what we want in words. We illustrate it, present it—and, of course, sometimes exaggerate it.”
Stirring Up Nostalgia
On the party’s website, AI-generated images depict a coal miner wearing a helmet, a carefree dancing woman, a laughing man, and an elderly smiling woman. These images of “ordinary” Germans who support the AfD are representative of much of the AI-generated content used in the party’s propaganda campaign.
However, the party is not merely using this technology to depict its supporters. AI-generated content is also employed to revive the party’s promise of restoring the country to an idealized past while preventing what it views as a bleak future caused by increased immigration.
Markus Busch, a researcher at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, stated: “For the AfD, AI-generated clips function as nostalgia machines and exaggerated emotional amplifiers, featuring images that evoke historical aesthetics from the 19th and 20th centuries.”
A video from the AfD’s Brandenburg branch, released before last fall’s local elections in the state, exemplifies this strategy through scenes portraying a supposed golden age.
In the video, a narrator, speaking over images of a bygone era, says: “Your grandparents had a home in Brandenburg; this is where your grandfather took your grandmother dancing, where your mother went to kindergarten, and where your grandfather built his house.”
A Telescope to the Future
The emotionally charged scenes then abruptly cut to dark, ominous footage meant to depict Germany’s grim future if the AfD does not come to power.
In these scenes, elderly Germans are seen collecting plastic bottles to make ends meet or despairingly looking at their empty wallets, while women walk down the street wearing burqas.
AfD leaders have been open about their use of technology. Kleinwächter stated that he would not describe the AfD’s approach as a “nostalgia machine” but rather as a “telescope to the future.”
He explained: “It’s not about saying something negative about a particular group, person, or anything of that sort. That’s not the goal. The goal is to put our finger on the sore spot and present it visually.”
Awakening Supporters
The AfD’s use of AI represents just a fraction of a broader effort, as party supporters and influencers actively spread pro-AfD content across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter).
Busch noted: “There is an entire army of fans engaging in a far-reaching and highly effective participatory propaganda effort.” He added: “Messages are amplified and emotionally charged through AI modifications.”
Pro-AfD users post everything from images of blonde women wearing the party’s colors and waving German flags to fake videos of politicians from rival parties kissing each other or being sent to prison.
Some users have even created entirely AI-generated accounts to promote the party. One such account, allegedly belonging to a woman named Larissa Wagner, shares AI-generated images of an attractive brunette alongside slogans supporting the AfD and opposing immigration.
