“What kind of soulless monster would use made up holocaust stories to farm clicks?”

Actor Michael Rapaport is going through backlash after sharing what the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum says is a “fake, AI-generated” photograph alongside a questionable story from the Holocaust.

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Earlier this month, Rapaport posted a black and white picture of a malnourished man taking part in a violin to Facebook. It was accompanied by a narrative claiming the person was a violinist named “Henek” who went from taking part in live performance halls earlier than World War II to being compelled by the Nazis “to play while men, women, and children were marched to their deaths.”

“One day, as a line of prisoners walked past, a girl no older than thirteen turned to him,” his publish reads. “Her lips barely moved: ‘Your music is the last thing I’ll hear. Thank you.’”

The solely downside is that nothing within the publish appears to be actual.

Auschwitz Memorial blasts photograph and story as “fake”

The official Facebook account for the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum shared a screenshot of Rapaport’s publish. In it, it denounces the picture as “AI-generated” and poking holes within the story.

“Such fabrication disrespects victims and harasses their memory,” the replace reads. It continues, “If you see such posts, please don’t share them.”

Rapaport’s historical past of pro-Israel content material

There’s been a notable and deeply regarding rise in antisemitism within the United States in recent times, together with Holocaust denial and straight up Nazis roaming round. These are, after all, issues that we should always take severely.

But there’s no motive to make use of what seems to be an AI-generated picture and a ChatGPT-written story to attract consideration to the atrocities that had been dedicated in the course of the Holocaust.

Taken inside the context of Rapaport’s prior social media posts, these fabrications tackle a extra insidious layer. The actor has been vocal about his help for Israel within the ongoing struggle abroad.

Every day, he posts the names of all of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, in addition to how lengthy they’ve been held. He additionally usually blasts public figures who criticize Israel and specific solidarity with the Palestinian residents who’ve suffered below Israel’s assaults.

That he then used his platform to unfold a seemingly false Holocaust story, aimed toward tugging at individuals’s heartstrings, reads to some as an try to control sympathies in favor of the modern-day Israeli state.

Although Rapaport has since quietly deleted his publish, the story and picture had been additionally shared on different social media platforms. This is resulting in individuals expressing their frustration with the proliferation of AI-generated content material being handed off as actual.

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