&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "REVEALED: The group behind the Lego Movie-style warriors of Iranian AI-generated propaganda")
The Lego Movie-style videos depicting imagined scenarios of the Iran–US–Israel war looked cute at first. But behind the AI-generated videos was messaging that appealed to millions of people. The popularity of these videos that flooded the internet since early March was so high that YouTube and other social media platforms removed some accounts behind the videos. But they keep popping up all over again. Now, the creators of these videos have been revealed to be actually working for the Iranian government, not doing this as a hobby project.
Identified in a BBC report only as Mr Explosive, the creator of these Lego-style videos described himself as a “warrior”. Despite the repression of the internet, Mr Explosive was able to communicate with the BBC using limited access provided to journalists.
Who is Mr Explosive?
The BBC described Mr Explosive as a representative of Explosive Media, which creates these videos to promote pro-Iran narratives. Mr Explosive defended working with the Iranian government, saying it is “honourable to work for the homeland”. The creator also rejected accusations of antisemitism, stating: “Our videos are not antisemitic; our videos are anti-Zionist.”
The hidden message in the Lego movie-style videos
The videos are stylised to look like the Lego Movie, but they tell stories of the war, depicting political figures and controversial events. Some of these are real, some are imaginary or concocted. Some videos give a totally Iranian view of the world. Many videos show Iran as resisting a global oppressor, the United States.
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Iranian government is a “customer”
The BBC report said Mr Explosive initially claimed the outlet was “totally independent” but later admitted the Iranian government is a “customer.”
The videos show Iran “seeking truth and freedom” against “those who associate themselves with cannibals,” referencing conspiracy claims about the Epstein files and Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged links to US President Donald Trump.
Not just “slopaganda”
The videos could broadly fall in the category of AI slop, but the term “slopaganda” is being used for such AI generated videos used for propaganda.
In essence, the videos are highly sophisticated and effective propaganda, viewed hundreds of millions of times. Culturally, the AI movies are tailored to Western audiences, making them especially influential and appealing.
Not all videos are true, but viewers have been lapping them up
The videos have often pushed misinformation as fun clips, including one showing how a US pilot was captured by Iran. “Possibly there was no lost pilot, there was no rescue operation,” Mr Explosive said, while adding, “Only 13% of what Mr Trump says is based on facts.”
But even then, many viewers described the videos as “shockingly accurate so far.”
A new era of information warfare
The experts cited in the BBC report described the Lego movie-style videos as “defensive memetic warfare” and a new form of “internet diplomacy”, bypassing traditional media.
This fast-moving, AI-driven propaganda ecosystem is “cutting out the middlemen” and “blurs our understanding of what is happening”.
But there is always a risk of misinterpretation and escalation in such videos that could leave the global information space “in a kind of limbo."
