Contributor(s): Beatriz Lopez Buarque | In this video, we break down the Southport riots of 2024 — and how generative AI misinformation played a shocking role in fuelling UK civil unrest. From AI-generated fake images to spreading anti-Muslim and anti-Islam conspiracy theories, this explainer unpacks how false visuals spread online and ignited real-world violence.

Was this a case of AI and social unrest colliding? Or a warning about how generative AI controversy in the UK could shape our future? LSE Fellow Beatriz Lopez Buarque explores how the Southport riots started on X and ended in the worst far-right rioting we have seen in the UK since the Second World War and how it is more important than ever that there is fact-checking in place on social media platforms.

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