Australian hate tracker to visit for discussions on AI’s role in the rise of antisemitism

What is the world like after the massacre of Jews at Bondi Beach in Australia last month? And how can antisemitism be addressed in an AI-driven world?

Those are questions that will be answered next week in Winnipeg by Andre Oboler, CEO of Australia’s Online Hate Prevention Institute.

“AI is normalizing antisemitic language,” said Oboler, who tracks online hate and antisemitism internationally.

Online antisemitic hate speech has been rising since the Hamas attacks on Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, in which more than 1,200 people were slain, he said.

The most common forms were the centuries-old trope claiming that Jews killed Jesus, the myth of a global Jewish conspiracy to control the world’s governments and media, denial of the Holocaust and justifying attacks on Jews because of the actions of the Israeli government in places such as Gaza.

Most worrisome for him are posts about “globalizing the Intifada,” which Oboler said incites people to commit violence against Jews or Jewish institutions anywhere in the world.

“It means all Jews are legitimate targets, and it’s fair game to attack Jews anywhere,” he said.

Such language normalizes antisemitism and has the potential to inspire some people to attack Jews, Oboler said. “It gives them justification to break the law.”

Oboler distinguishes between legitimate criticism of the policies of the Israeli government and being pro-Palestine and posting hate online. People can do those things “without being antisemitic,” he said, adding that some posts cross the line and “raise the temperature.”

Also troubling for Oboler is how AI is being used to create hate. This includes posts, photos and videos that began to circulate soon after the Bondi Beach attack — 15 people were shot and killed and 39 others injured during a holiday celebration — denying that it actually happened.

“There were posts saying it was fake blood and fake actors,” he said, adding this included fake photos and videos.

Governments, the media and other institutions are struggling to respond to AI-generated hate, he said, since AI makes it possible for one person to generate thousands of posts that can reach many people in a short amount of time.

Oboler is critical of how Facebook bans links to media sources in Canada. This makes it hard for Canadians to get accurate information — while disinformation is circulated almost unimpeded, he said.

Oboler is being brought to Winnipeg by the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada. For executive director Belle Jarniewski, his presentations are important at a time when antisemitism is rising “in a frightful way.”

This includes how AI can make it easier for people not only to make false information about the Holocaust or Jews, but also for how easy it is for people to find inaccurate information online and be misled.

“We should be very worried about what is happening,” she said, noting that AI can be trained on and then reproduce content that includes hate speech or conspiracy theories. “Facts are not being protected.”

Oboler will speak about the fight against antisemitism on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Jan. 27, 7 p.m. at Congregation Shaarey Zedek (561 Wellington Cres.). He will also speak about the world after the Bondi Beach massacre on Jan. 29, 7 p.m. at Charleswood United Church (4820 Roblin Blvd.). For more information and to register for the events, visit https://www.jhcwc.org/programs.

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