How AI resurrects racist stereotypes and disinformation — and why fact-checking isn’t enough

Impact of AI on Disinformation: In 2025, artificial intelligence has dramatically shifted how we work, interact, and engage, facilitating faster and more widespread spread of problematic narratives, including racist tropes.
Case of AI-Generated Videos: A series of AI-generated videos depicted Black women exploiting welfare benefits fraudulently, reinforcing long-standing racist stereotypes and labeled as “digital blackface.”
Political Context and Disinformation: During the longest U.S. federal government shutdown, AI-generated content amplified anxieties around welfare, particularly about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), highlighting the limitations of fact-checking.
Intersection of AI and Political Rhetoric: President Donald Trump resurrected settled fraud cases, leveraging racial and anti-immigrant sentiments, with AI technology amplifying these narratives.
Reinforcement of Misogynoir and Anti-Blackness: The viral spread of AI-generated content continues to revive harmful anti-Black and misogynist stereotypes, suggesting that these narratives resonate deeply within societal structures.
Racist Narratives and Political Life: AI-driven disinformation underscores how embedded and accepted these racist and xenophobic scripts are, driving a broader political agenda underpinned by racial capitalism.