Sri Lanka-linked accounts are accused of spreading AI-generated anti-immigration videos targeting the UK, a BBC probe reveals.
Sri Lanka-linked accounts have been accused of helping spread AI-generated anti-immigration videos targeting the United Kingdom, according to a BBC investigation.
The investigation by BBC Panorama and the Top Comment podcast found that dozens of connected Facebook and Instagram accounts were sharing fake AI-generated videos portraying Britain as a country in decline because of immigration and the spread of Islam.
One Facebook page titled “Great British People”, which claimed to be based in Yorkshire, was reportedly operated by an individual in Sri Lanka.
According to the BBC, one of the page’s latest videos, featuring an elderly British man crying over his pension, gained more than 1.3 million views.
Other AI-generated clips showed fabricated scenes of the UK Parliament supposedly enforcing Sharia law, fake interviews with Muslim women calling for Britain to become more Islamic, and fictional portrayals of British cities in 2050 filled with rubbish, unrest, and Islamic imagery.
The BBC reported that several account operators were based in Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the Maldives, the United States, and parts of Europe.
Some accounts were also linked to Iran and the UAE, according to the report.
The investigation found that many of the accounts had previously focused on unrelated themes, including US politics, before switching to anti-immigration narratives to increase engagement and social media revenue.
Social psychologist Prof. Sander van der Linden of the University of Cambridge described the activity as a “new evolution of influence operations”.
He warned that repeated exposure to AI-generated misinformation could make people distrust authentic information.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said some of the content appeared to be driven by individuals seeking profit through social media engagement.
He added that other accounts could be linked to hostile foreign influence campaigns.
Khan warned that such “AI-generated lies” could harm London’s global reputation and discourage tourists, investors, and international students.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, told the BBC it takes “co-ordinated inauthentic behaviour seriously” and would take action against accounts violating its community standards.
Some account operators admitted to the BBC that their main goal was to provoke reactions online and increase engagement for monetisation.
