AI-Generated Images Falsely Depict Activist Protesting Lovebug Control
Satirical content shared widely online as real outrage.
Two AI-generated images, circulating on social media, falsely portray an animal rights activist protesting South Korea’s measures to control a recent lovebug infestation; the images originated from an online parody account, but many users believed they were authentic.
Meme Misinformation
A Facebook post, dated July 4, 2025, includes the caption, “Disgusting environmental activist roaches, hypocritical pests.”
The post questions why these activists aren’t addressing North Korea’s reported uranium waste discharge into South Korean rivers (archived link).
The contested images depict an interview with “Go Gi-yeong”, identified as an “animal rights activist.” Captions in the first image quote her saying, “At this moment innocent lovebugs are being massacred. We should become a society that coexists and stops these massacres.”
The second image shows her seemingly distressed by swarming lovebugs, with subtitles suggesting she’s swearing at them.
Lovebug Infestation Sparks Debate
Following a surge in lovebug populations in late June, South Korean environmental authorities initiated widespread pest control operations (archived link). These insects, named for their mating behavior, were initially recorded in South Korea during a 2022 outbreak (archived link). In response to the widespread spraying, groups such as Greenpeace Korea, voiced concerns over its indiscriminate nature (archived link).
The AI-generated images also appeared on multiple right-wing Facebook accounts and Threads, accompanied by mocking comments, as many users took the images as authentic.
Parody Artist Behind the Images
Reverse image searches revealed that the images were initially posted on Instagram by Lil Doge, a South Korean parody artist known for satirical AI-generated content, particularly related to politics, on July 2. According to his original post, “These are images created by AI based on real-life facts”
(archived link).
Lil Doge’s account and YouTube page feature similar AI parodies lampooning activists and politicians, amassing millions of views (archived here and here).
Examination of the images reveals telltale signs of AI generation; for example, in the first image, the speaker’s left hand has more than five fingers. Also, the microphone shows illogical cords; the background shifts between the two images.
Though generative AI technology advances rapidly, visual inconsistencies can still help to identify fabricated content. In fact, a 2024 study from the University of Maryland found that humans can only detect AI-generated faces with about 60% accuracy, highlighting the increasing challenge of identifying deepfakes and other synthetic media (arXiv).
