AESTHETICS OF FASCISM

GENERATIVE AI AND THE CRISIS OF INFORMATIONAL MEMORY

Abstract

The present work stems from reflections that, by correlating fascist ideology and the Futurist movement, propose to find resonances of these practices in the present, notably regarding the ways in which generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools relate to the resurgence of far-right discourses and governments, as well as to immoral mercantilist purposes. To this end, it draws upon several practical cases divided into four categories that serve as a framework for reflection. Finally, it is concluded, without intending to be exhaustive, that GAI models frequently contribute to an imagery that serves extremist political-ideological purposes and profit-making as the ultimate maxim of life, even if, to achieve this, it becomes necessary to resort to the production of memories and narratives that move between the real and the fanciful. Furthermore, velocity as a characteristic of the new digital ecosystem and the new forms of consumption, which neglect meaning in favor of form and immediate experience, allow the AI aesthetic to better serve neofascist and neoliberal purposes, as they clear the ground for acriticism and the ephemeral, echoing the past Futurist impetus.