The Lego-style AI propaganda flooding feeds — and the man behind it

Bright bricks, dark messages

At first glance they look like snippets from a toy commercial — bright primaries, chunky minifigure bodies, quick cuts. Look closer and the scenes are brutal: dying children, fighter jets, Donald Trump tumbling through a swirl of so‑called "Epstein files". It has been reported that the clips are AI‑generated, use a Lego‑like aesthetic deliberately because it's a "world language," and are being shared widely as pro‑Iran propaganda.

Who is making them — and who pays?

For the BBC's Top Comment podcast, reporters spoke to a silhouetted representative of Explosive Media who wanted to be called Mr Explosive. He initially denied government ties; it has been reported that he later allegedly admitted the Iranian regime is a "customer" — a claim he had not publicly confirmed before. He says a team of fewer than ten people produces the work, and it has been reported that Iranian and Russian state accounts help amplify the clips to large English‑speaking audiences.

Facts stretched, feelings engineered

The videos mix half‑truths and outright inaccuracies with powerful imagery. In one, an American pilot is shown captured — despite US officials, it has been reported, confirming a rescue and that the airman is receiving treatment in Kuwait. In another, footage hints at an implausible Epstein‑cannibalism conspiracy; there is no credible evidence for that theory. Experts quoted in the reporting, including Dr Emma Briant, warn this isn't cute or clumsy "slopaganda" but a highly sophisticated emotional weapon. And yes — that moment of George Floyd under a boot? Designed to hit like a gut punch. It works.

Why it matters now

AI makes this easy and addictive. Garish, unsubtle visuals skip nuance and drop straight into feeling — anger, grievance, vindication — and voilà: virality. It has been reported that these clips have been viewed hundreds of millions of times, raising the blunt question: are platforms and viewers prepared for propaganda that looks like children's toys? In the era of deepfakes and meme warfare, the medium isn't just the message anymore — it's the Trojan horse.

Sources: bbc.com, Hacker News