When populism meets artificial intelligence: AI-generated multimedia content and far-right digital campaigning on Instagram and X in the 2024 European elections
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Europe is witnessing an unprecedented rise in far-right populism. Since 2018, the growing political representation of populist leaders, parties, and governments in European institutions has intensified the circulation of disinformation, a phenomenon that became particularly visible in the 2024 European Parliament elections. In five countries holding more than 50% of parliamentary seats (Spain, France, Italy, Germany, and Poland), far-right parties ranked among the three most voted political forces. Far-right populism constructs anti-globalization, anti-feminist, and anti-migration narratives, portraying them as major threats to national prosperity and security. These narratives are increasingly disseminated through social media platforms, which function as direct channels for mobilizing digital communities. Beyond conventional content production practices, populist organizations are now incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) tools that enable automated and multimodal communication. This study examines the use of AI-generated content on Instagram and X by the most voted far-right parties during the 2024 European election campaign. Using a mixed-methods quantitative–qualitative content analysis, the research analyzes a corpus of 1439 posts collected through systematic platform searches and keyword-based sampling. Data were gathered using advanced search functions and manual verification procedures. AI-generated materials were identified through multiple detection tools and cross-validation techniques. The findings show that AI-assisted communication is unevenly distributed across parties, with Alternative für Deutschland emerging as the most technologically proactive actor. Synthetic content mainly amplifies migration-related threat narratives, reinforces leadership-centered communication, and intensifies affective polarization. Moreover, AI-generated posts consistently achieve higher user engagement, particularly in reposts and saved posts.
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,180
OpenAlex ID: W7213971970