AFL stars are being targeted by ‘AI slop’. There’s a sinister motive behind it

A spoof video of departed AFL coaches Brad Scott and Michael Voss letting their hair down in Ibiza might appear harmless, but it offers insight into the growing danger and proliferation of “fake news” and its impact on AFL clubs, players and their families. Seemingly innocent or light-hearted footage of the former Brisbane Lions premiership teammates finding their dancing feet, unburdened by the stress of coaching, generates a laugh and maybe even sympathy from a social media audience that’s happy to see them smiling. But here’s the catch: the footage isn’t real.

It’s increasingly easy to be confused or misled in cyberspace. Often derided as “AI Slop”, this questionable content is featuring increasingly on Facebook feeds. And it’s often the game’s big names, usually with fanciful and wild claims attached to them, being used to pull you in.

Have you read about Nick Daicos spending $2 million on a homeless shelter? Or stumbled across reports that a star player was involved in a stoush with Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong on live TV? Maybe you just keep scrolling and simply shake your head.

Not everyone does. Based on an assessment of Facebook reader comments, footy fans are constantly being hoodwinked as the practice goes into overdrive. One Facebook page spread the news that former Footscray ruckman Gary Dempsey had died.

Thankfully, the 77-year-old took the news in his stride. “I am still driving tractors, chasing cattle and cutting down trees, so I am still alive,” he told News Corp last month. “A lot of people haven’t got my number, so people rang relatives, and they got upset, but it was all bullshit, to be honest.

It has been lovely that a lot of people rang.” AFL clubs and staff are getting more and more frustrated by the proliferation of misinformation in the form of fake player and club pages and other information purporting to come from official sources. “This sort of material has caused significant concern recently given the false and sometimes disturbing nature of the content, particularly when relatives of our people are brought into it and provocative allegations are made about individuals, their opinions or interpersonal relationships,” a spokesperson for the Western Bulldogs said.

Prominent off-field club personnel were also in the scammers’ sights, the spokesperson said. The Bulldogs confirmed a club legend had been in contact to “assure us he was fine after it [his alleged passing] was brought to his attention”. “This is clearly unacceptable and potentially the source of enormous distress,” the spokesperson said.

This masthead has spoken to multiple clubs, and the AFL, about the growing problem. One club needed 15 staff to report dubious content to Meta (the owner of Facebook) before the page was taken down. Usually, reporting a problem page becomes a game of Whack-A-Mole.

A club successfully shuts down a questionable social media page before it springs up again – sometimes with the same name – to continue publishing false material. Meta says it’s aware of “inauthentic behaviour” – “IB” for short – described as the effort to mislead people or Facebook about the popularity of content, the purpose of a community (groups, pages and events) or the identity of the people behind it. Meta says such behaviour is mainly focused on amplifying and increasing the distribution of content.

It also says it uses automated systems and manual enforcement to combat IB. The deliberately personal nature of the content is of particular concern to AFL figures. “Any false information about the club that is disseminated purporting to be ‘news’ is concerning,” the Bulldogs say.

“But there’s been examples of posts that mention and contain imagery of relatives of club representatives with potentially upsetting narratives that are entirely false, such as serious illness.” The stories are designed to shock and capture your attention: issues affecting the LGBTQI+ community, sports stars struck down by major illnesses, confected conflict between coaches and players, crazy accusations supposedly made by a coach about an upcoming opponent, and even players calling for a result to be overturned after a controversial finish to a match. At Collingwood, Nick Daicos and Darcy Moore are favourite subjects.

Hawthorn’s James Sicily is a popular pick. Richmond champion and three-time Norm Smith winner Dustin Martin is regularly in the (fake) headlines. “Dustin Martin touched the hearts of the entire AFL by quietly sponsoring a life-saving surgery to separate conjoined twins and give them a second chance,” read a recent post from a page passing itself off as connected to the Tigers.

“This extraordinary and compassionate act resonated deeply with fans worldwide, who joined in prayer and shared the children’s grief.” The individuals behind this post did something the mainstream media has struggled with – eliciting a comment from the notoriously shy Martin. “I did this simply so they could have a chance to fight and live their lives,