Algorithmic Imaginaries: AI-Generated Visual Narratives of the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict

Abstract

Visual generative AI tools mediate public perceptions of political conflicts, transforming text-based prompts into synthetic imagery that circulates as cultural discourse. This chapter examines how visual generative media platforms Midjourney, DALL-E 3, Stability AI, Leonardo AI, and Grok represent the Israel-Palestine conflict. Using a visual social semiotic approach, it analyzes 28 AI-generated images across three conflict-related prompts with content analysis and critical textual analysis. Findings reveal platform-specific biases: themes foreground destruction and combatants while minimizing contextual and cultural nuance and generalizing the depiction of this conflict to that of any war. Leonardo AI produces more complex, actor-rich narratives; others adopt more abstract or sanitized styles. The chapter underscores the need for critical scrutiny of AI-generated visuals in sensitive geopolitical contexts. © 2026 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial intelligence technologies or similar technologies. All rights are reserved.