Social media users capitalised on the ghastly attack on tourists in Pahalgam by using generative AI to share content around it. Applying the popular Studio Ghibli filters on authentic images of victims and perpetrators of the attack and fabricating entirely false images with claims of showing real scenes of the terror attack, social media racked up engagement through the use of AI to draw views, likes and shares.
In one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in India, terrorists opened fire at the Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, killing 26 tourists and a local. Survivors and family members of the deceased have alleged that the terrorists targeted non-Muslims, after asking for identification and names. Initial probe indicates that five terrorists, including three from Pakistan, were involved. The Indian government has since taken several diplomatic actions against Pakistan, including suspending the decades old Indus water treaty.
Adding Aesthetics To A Tragedy For Engagement
One particularly viral image showing Indian Navy lieutenant Vinay Narwal lying wounded on the ground with his wife Himanshi, a school teacher, sitting beside him in shock, became the subject of numerous AI manipulations across social media.
The following screenshot shows the original photo in question, as shared by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Looking through the viral AI versions of the photo, we found frequent addition of dramatic effects, such as excess blood on Vinay Narwal's body, and excess emotions on the face of his wife, who appears to be in shock without excessive emotions in the original photo.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's Chattisgarh unit added a Studio Ghibli filter—a recently viral AI trend—to create an anime version of the tragic photo. This was shared on Facebook with a Hindi caption, that translates to, "They asked for religion, not caste." The same photo was also shared on X.
The post drew a number of negative comments from X users, with many stating it to be insensitive. One of the users commented, "Taking victim’s picture and using AI to create ghibli art just for a few likes on social media is a new low even for you guys. Shame on you!"
Despite the flak, this led to many other users applying similar filters on the photo and sharing it on social media.
Another similar 'ghiblified' photo showed Narwal lying on the ground drenched in blood, with the post receiving more than 5690 likes at the time of writing this article.
Another 'ghiblified' version of the photo showed Himanshi weeping over Narwal's body, garnering over 12,000 likes at the time of writing this article.
BOOM spoke to cyber psychologist Nirali Bhatia, who feels that sharing such content is a form of social currency for people with 'fear of missing out' or FOMO. "Sharing shocking or sensational content increases engagement, and people naturally gravitate towards negative content that elicits strong emotional responses," she told BOOM.
"In our hyperconnected world, grief has now become performance-driven. These AI filters help amplify expressions of sorrow and solidarity, without users realizing they're actually distorting reality and potentially causing more harm," Bhatia notes.
AI For Dramatic Effects
Searching on social media with the hashtag #pahalgamattack, we found many other users using AI to create more realistic versions of the same photo—albeit with excess dramatic effects.
One of the images (image on the left in the collage above) showed the woman crying intensely over the man's body, with a red-coloured pond behind them, insinuating a pool of blood. The caption shared with this photo suggested that it is a real image from the attack.
Yet another AI-generated version of this photo showed them situated in a battlefield-like situation, with fire, explosions and smoke in the background - none of which is present in the real photo. Another image we found showed the woman simply weeping over the man's body.
Another realistic version of the same photo showed the woman with a smile on her face, while sitting next to the body of the man.
We ran all these images through AI image detectors like Was It AI and Hive Moderator - which indicated a very high likelihood of them being created using AI tools.
Looking through the search results, we also found several AI-generated visuals showing bodies lying on the ground. Most of the posts sharing these visuals purported them to be real. View these posts here, here and here.
Some of the AI-generated visuals showed Bollywood-esque action sequences, purporting them to be from the attacked. One such post claimed to show a local Kashmiri intervening during the attack to protect the lives of the tourists - but a quick manual analysis showed obvious signs of AI being used to create the image.
Discussing the dramatisation of tragedy, Bhatia points to a concerning trend in digital media consumption: "We tend to respond emotionally before thinking critically, especially during moments of mass trauma. These AI-generated images heighten emotional cues, making us feel a stronger connection to the event without considering relevance or factuality. When you see those enhanced images, they trigger deeper emotions within you, and that emotional response is what drives engagement."
BOOM also found a post containing an AI-generated visual shared to represent the scene of the attack. The video went on to show the Hindu deity Krishna stepping in the battlefield and fighting the attackers, along with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The video had received over 23,000 views at the time of writing this article, with many users responding positively to it.
"In these moments of collective trauma, social media becomes less about accuracy and more about emotional resonance," concludes Bhatia.