AI-generated videos pushing anti-immigration, sexist and divisive messages across social media are often driven by profit rather than politics, according to a report published by the think tank ResetTech.
The report, titled "Monetized Slopaganda" and released on Wednesday, September 9, analyzed thousands of pieces of content on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook. It found that AI-generated political productions, frequently misleading and designed to attract clicks, have become a structured, industrialized and lucrative activity for certain operators.
Several examples have surfaced in recent months. In October, a TikTok clip announcing "five major rights for undocumented migrants" passed one million views. In May, a similar video came close to two million views by revealing "five new rights for undocumented migrants." A month later, a third video claimed that "very good news has just arrived for all undocumented migrants." This kind of content appeals both to people directly affected and to internet users hostile to immigration who are likely to comment on and denounce the claims, generating engagement either way.
Fake reports and hateful stereotypes
A similar strategy is used in fake news reports that claim to interview veiled women, LGBT activists or young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, mimicking journalistic conventions while spreading hateful stereotypes rather than real reporting. In both cases, the goal is engagement, whether through support or backlash.
In some cases, an intent to manipulate has been documented. Last summer, a fake report claimed that a 1,800-euro payment would be given to all African migrants arriving in France. It featured a deepfake of French President Emmanuel Macron that circulated within pro-Kremlin networks and was linked to the Russian influence operation known as Storm-1516. In another case, in the United Kingdom, a YouTube clip was altered using artificial intelligence to make a London neighbourhood appear more threatening and to reinforce an anti-immigration narrative.
6,600 accounts, nearly a million videos
ResetTech's analysis covered more than 6,600 accounts across YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. Over eight months, these channels posted more than 960,000 pieces of content. The report attributes this volume to the low cost and speed of AI production: creators flood platforms with content, track which videos perform best in views, interactions or new followers, and then replicate those formats. The report found that this political content had collectively drawn more than four billion views and 500 million interactions.
Monetization across the platforms
That audience can be converted directly into income through creator payment programs, paid subscriptions or the sale of online courses. ResetTech found that 13% of the Facebook pages studied had a history of monetization. On YouTube, 5% of the channels examined were verifiably enrolled in the YouTube Partner Program, and 40% of the videos were eligible for ad revenue. On TikTok, seven still-active accounts had enabled the subscription button that lets creators receive direct financial support from followers.
Networks in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Vietnam
The choice of narratives, the report suggests, is driven by economic calculation rather than ideology. Some 2,700 Facebook pages promoting a patriotic vision of France, Poland or Italy, and spreading nationalist and anti-immigration content, were traced by ResetTech to a single network based in Sri Lanka. That same network also runs the page "French Mood," which posts clips favourable to the French far-right party Rassemblement National.
A group based in Pakistan targeted German audiences with anti-Ukraine and anti-Muslim content, while an operator based in Vietnam generated engagement through debates over the burqa and staged fake anti-Islam protests. According to the report, the aim was simply to exploit online discussions, particularly in France, which the report identifies as one of the most targeted countries in Europe, with the French presidential election explicitly singled out as a target.
Revenue hard to measure but real
Actual earnings are difficult to verify but are estimated at several hundred euros. One creator told the Spanish outlet Maldita that they could earn roughly 1,000 to 1,500 dollars a month, depending on their workload, while training courses on how to replicate the technique are sold for several hundred euros.
Rys Farthing, research director at Reset Tech, described the phenomenon as foreign influence driven by commercial motivations. According to the report, reactionary narratives are not necessarily the starting point for these economic actors but rather an especially effective raw material for capturing attention. The rise in extremist content is therefore not presented as a political goal in itself, but as a consequence of a new and profitable industry.
