Memory of the multitude and representation in AI-generated
images of war
Abstract
This study addresses how AI-generated images of war are changing the making of memory. Instead of
asking how AI-generated images affect individual recall, we focus on how they communicate specific
representations, recognising that such portrayals can cultivate particular assumptions and beliefs.
Drawing on memory of the multitude, visual social semiotics, and cultivation/desensitisation theories,
we analyse how visual generative AI mediates the representation of the Russia-Ukraine war. Our
corpus includes 200 images of the Russia-Ukraine war generated from 23 prompts across proprietary
and open-source visual generative AI systems. The findings indicate that visual generative AI tends to
present a sanitised view of the war. Critical aspects, such as death, injury, and suffering of children and
refugees are often excluded. Furthermore, a disproportional focus on urban areas misrepresents the
full scope of the war. Visual generative AI, we argue, introduces a new dimension to memory making in
that it blends documentation with speculative fiction by synthesising the multitude embedded within
the visual memory of war archives, historical biases, representational limitations, and commercial risk
aversion. By foregrounding the socio-technical and discursive dimensions of synthetic war content,
this study contributes to an interdisciplinary dialogue on collective memory at the intersection of
visual communication studies, media studies, and memory studies by providing empirical insights into
how generative AI mediates the visual representation of war through human-archival-mechanistic
entanglements.
Keywords: visual generative AI; AI-generated images; memory of the multitude; war representation
New study in Memory, Mind & Media: "Memory of the multitude and representation in AI-generated #images of #war;
#AI and #Memory special collection. doi.org/10.1017/mem....
#criticalAI @universitypress.cambridge.org
23.09.2025 07:59 β π 11 π 3 π¬ 0 π 1
In Conversation with Andrew Hoskins and Ben O'Loughlin
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
Our video: What is AI Politics - our book series and a thing out there in the world? @andrewhoskins.bsky.social and I mull it over:
Watch: ow.ly/EQFC50WQin8
CFP: ow.ly/M43J50WQin7
Thanks to James @intellectbooks.bsky.social and do consider writing a book on this!
08.09.2025 15:17 β π 2 π 2 π¬ 0 π 0
James Campbell is joined by Andrew Hoskins and Ben O'Loughlin.
They discuss their new book series, AI Politics, which will interrogate and shape debate on the artificial intelligence.
Watchπow.ly/EQFC50WQin8
CFPπow.ly/M43J50WQin7
@benoloughlin.bsky.social @andrewhoskins.bsky.social
07.09.2025 11:00 β π 3 π 2 π¬ 0 π 0
AI & Collective Memory
In this review, I show how Generative AI (GAI) utterly transforms how we represent, access, expose and cover, find and lose, sanitise and toxify, use β¦
AI & COLLECTIVE MEMORY
The agentic turn shatters collective memory through three key forces:
(1) The war on human agency.
(2) The sharding of the self
(3) The new haunting
My latest article in Current Opinion of Psychology.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
04.09.2025 13:03 β π 1 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
Digital Dybbuks and virtual Golems: the ethics of digital duplicates in Holocaust testimony | Memory, Mind & Media | Cambridge Core
Digital Dybbuks and virtual Golems: the ethics of digital duplicates in Holocaust testimony - Volume 4
From the AI and Memory Collection - Digital Dybbuks and virtual Golems: the ethics of digital duplicates in Holocaust testimony - cup.org/4fH7W4R
By Atay Kozlovski & Mykola Makhortykh
#digitalduplicate #Holocaust #testimony #artificialintelligence #ethics
20.08.2025 15:00 β π 2 π 2 π¬ 0 π 0
New Article: Peace in every shot: How Kodak changed the way we see war by Hadas Zahavi
Read it here: cup.org/40QIkfG
#Kodak #amateurphotography #visualmemory
07.08.2025 14:51 β π 4 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
My book series with @andrewhoskins.bsky.social - we're getting good proposals and welcome more:
www.intellectbooks.com/ai-politics
06.08.2025 13:11 β π 6 π 5 π¬ 0 π 0
Radical War: Data, Attention and Control in the Twenty-First Century : Ford, Matthew, Hoskins, Andrew: Amazon.co.uk: Books
Radical War: Data, Attention and Control in the Twenty-First Century : Ford, Matthew, Hoskins, Andrew: Amazon.co.uk: Books
@andrewhoskins.bsky.social and I picked up this point in our book Radical War.
It isn't a surprise to me that the software optimisation tends to ignore the legal requirements that the armed forces remain accountable to their legislators and in the courts.
amzn.eu/d/0WMoRjm
02.08.2025 09:33 β π 5 π 2 π¬ 2 π 0
Featured Article: Fake memories: A meta-analysis on the effect of fake news on the creation of false memories and false beliefs - cup.org/3SlXXGY
By Alexa Schincariol, Henry Otgaar, et al.
#fakenews #falsememories #falsebeliefs
17.06.2025 15:31 β π 1 π 2 π¬ 0 π 0
Navigating migration, memory and media: Introduction to the collection | Memory, Mind & Media | Cambridge Core
Navigating migration, memory and media: Introduction to the collection - Volume 4
New Special Collection: Navigating migration, memory and media
Read the introductory article, written by Ana BelΓ©n MartΓnez GarcΓa, Monika Arnez and Anita LuniΔ here: cup.org/4mOLlpQ
#Migration #Memory #Media
13.06.2025 09:27 β π 1 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
Great to be here at
NATO #RigaStratComDialogue
@stratcomcoe.bsky.social
rigastratcomdialogue.org
11.06.2025 10:39 β π 4 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
Wisdom Weavers & Media Ecology: A Conversation with Dr. Tom Cooper
The Human Voice with Bob Hutchins Β· Episode
Just up: Bob Hutchins' riveting interview with Tom Cooper, about his new book, Wisdom Weavers: The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan, published May 1 by Connected Editions open.spotify.com/episode/6jHa...
17.06.2025 15:49 β π 1 π 1 π¬ 2 π 0
Great to be here at
NATO #RigaStratComDialogue
@stratcomcoe.bsky.social
rigastratcomdialogue.org
11.06.2025 10:39 β π 4 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
Understanding identityβs cognitive roots is key to addressing conflict. What variables shape it?
Panel discussion βWashing away memory. New realities emerging.β
π’ Riga StratCom Dialogue 2025
π
10β11 June | π Riga, Latvia
π rigastratcomdialogue.org
26.05.2025 11:11 β π 3 π 3 π¬ 0 π 0
SHARDED MEDIA: Trumpβs Rage Against the Mainstream eBook : Merrin, William, Hoskins, Andrew: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
SHARDED MEDIA: Trumpβs Rage Against the Mainstream eBook : Merrin, William, Hoskins, Andrew: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
I've just read @williammerrin.bsky.social and @andrewhoskins.bsky.social's fast paced book "Sharded Media".
If you who want to understand the highly fragmented state of our media ecologies and how this framed/shaped Trump's 2024 election then this is for you.
www.amazon.co.uk/SHARDED-MEDI...
07.06.2025 08:48 β π 6 π 2 π¬ 1 π 0
From the Open Collection: Sharing memory and wisdom across generations: A scaffolded community reminiscing programme for adolescents and older adults - cup.org/42YuSGK
By Penny Van Bergen, Tanya Evans, et al.
#reminiscing #intergenerational #lifestory
05.06.2025 10:27 β π 1 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
From the AI and Memory Collection: Myopic memory: Capitalism's new continuity in the age of AI - cup.org/4ifOxaJ
By Danny Pilkington
#AI #Capitalism #Neoliberalism
29.05.2025 08:38 β π 1 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
From the AI & Memory Collection: Myopic memory: Capitalism's new continuity in the age of AI cup.org/4ifOxaJ
By Danny Pilkington
#AI #Capitalism #Neoliberalism
13.05.2025 10:48 β π 1 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
From Merrin and @andrewhoskins.bsky.social Sharded Media, written in November:
'Very simply, Reform are going to become one of the most important and powerful voices in UK politics (perhaps the most)' (p. 112)...
02.05.2025 13:34 β π 3 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
Trending article in Memory, Mind & Media: AI and memory - cup.org/42EoeGC
By Andrew Hoskins
#generativeAI #humanagency #digitalparticipation
01.05.2025 08:46 β π 6 π 2 π¬ 0 π 0
Did I mention that the fabulous Memory, Mind & Media journal is on Bluesky? You might want to check out @mmmjournal.bsky.social if you're interested in all things mediating memory.
11.03.2025 05:29 β π 4 π 3 π¬ 0 π 0
Invitation to potential authors - AI Politics: new book series by @intellectbooks.bsky.social / @uchicagopress.bsky.social edited by @andrewhoskins.bsky.social & I. View the full call here>>
www.intellectbooks.com/asset/2536/a...
24.04.2025 12:06 β π 8 π 6 π¬ 0 π 0
New article from Memory, Mind & Media: Sharing photographs on social media enhances recollection of photograph-related details - cup.org/4lLXX0G
By Angelina N. Vasquez, Shayla J. Dockery, Jessica M. Karanian, Qi Wang and Charles B. Stone
#memory #socialmedia #captureddetails
24.04.2025 13:01 β π 1 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
Recently published in Memory Mind & Media: Remembering/imagining: Shona Illingworthβs time present and Trinh-T Minh-Haβs forgetting Vietnam - cup.org/42lGNxW
By Caterina Albano
#memory #amnesia #imagination #TrinhTMinha @cambridgeup.bsky.social
22.04.2025 13:21 β π 1 π 1 π¬ 0 π 0
asst.-prof. in digital & multimodal communication / humane AI @rug.nl | genAI at the intersections of critical data studies & discourse studies β¨| SECR of the #ICA Visual Comm Division | https://nataliialaba.com
Associate Professor Modern History, Intelligence and Security, Diplomacy, Northern Ireland and Britain's End of Empire.
Intellect is a fiercely independent academic publisher for scholars and practitioners teaching and researching in the arts, media and creative industries.
Research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations studying terrorism and extremism. Opinions are my own and RT β endorsement.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/god-guns-and-sedition-far-right-terrorism-in-america/20097522?ean=9780231211222&next=t
Artificial Memory investigates the consequences of the surge of artificial intelligence (AI) β particularly generative AI β and its reception in memory studies.
https://artificial-memory.net/
Maintained by FrΓ©dΓ©ric Clavert (CΒ²DH - uni.lu)
The Philosophy of Memory Organization (PhOMO) is an international network that aims to foster interaction among philosophers interested in the study of memory and its relationship to other phenomena and philosophical issues.
Journalistin bei correctiv.org/faktencheck | PortrΓ€t von Ivo Mayr
Hier privat mit den Themen: Faktencheck, Osint, Medienkompetenz, Telegram, Kambodscha und Frankreich
Ex-Foreign Office adviser to Robin Cook. Politics, foreign policy, football. Scottish π΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώ. Firmly left. HMFCπ±π»MUFCπΎπͺ.
writer, photographer, employment lawyer, ridiculous dog person, avid Sofalist
I also wrote a book on Pay Equity called Get Pay Right
Co-Founder at Zentropi. Formerly Head of Trust & Safety at OpenAI, of Community Policy at Airbnb, and of Content Policy Facebook. Strictly cold takes.
GeopolΓtica c rigor e justeza ;) Geography, Law, Security. Post-Doc Geography Dept @unicampoficial - Geosci Institute. Invited PhD Researcher @ CEIS20/@UnivdeCoimbra.
glodesblum.com
Behavioral and Brain Scientist ~ Addiction Research ~ CNRS Research Director ~ University of Bordeaux
STS scholar interested in Autonomous Weapon Systems, Surveillance Technologies, Governmentality;
Paderborn University; he/him
else: Cycling, Jazz, Dogs
Mental Health-LGBTQ Advocate, Paranormal & UAP. Trekkie.
Welcome to the British Academy-funded project 'Speculative Machines and Us: Intuition, AI, and the Making of Computational Cultures' https://speculativemachines.co.uk PI Carolyn Pedwell https://tinyurl.com/4z6m62wz AI/digital/history/affect/politics/ethics
Associate Professor of History at SLAC (NY, USA). Not representing employer.
Interests: the politics of history, historical justice, historical dialogue, reconciliation.
Commentary: Salon, The Progressive, HuffPost.
Resist Much, Obey Little.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social | Incoming Senior Lecturer IR & Politics @ljmuirp.bsky.social | @britishacademy.bsky.social Research Fellow| Research Fellow @uclamericas.bsky.social| PhD Government @universityofessex.bsky.social
Editor at Futurism, horror/pinball enthusiast, lover of weird stuff, as previously seen in the Boston Globe, Vice, Slate, Wired etc. Please DM with tips and/or memes
Director, Centre for the Sciences of Place & Memory, Stirling Uni, Scotland. Skill, memory, embodied cognition, philosophy, cognitive history, cricket, music, collaborating, wayfinding. Leverhulme International Prof: johnsutton.net & placememory.net
Kopimist
"The past is never dead. Itβs not even past." -Faulkner
archival notes on covert operations, media and corporate/state entanglements
FilasαΉΔ«n sayyidah wa αΈ₯urrah
