--- title: "Idiots Fooled by AI-Generated Pics of Satanic Merchandise at Target" description: "AI-generated joke images of toddlers wearing what looked like Target-peddled Satanic merchandise went viral in far-right social media circles." date: "2023-06-05" modified: "2023-06-05" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/idiots-ai-generated-satanic-merchandise-target" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai" - "ai-generated content" - "misinformation" - "the digest" --- # Idiots Fooled by AI-Generated Pics of Satanic Merchandise at Target ![AI-generated joke images of toddlers wearing what looked like Target-peddled Satanic merchandise went viral in far-right social media circles.]() *\Image: Dan Reese\* ## Moving Target Far-right Facebook was sent spiraling last week over so-called images of children wearing what looked to be Target merchandise covered in Satanic imagery. These people, however, are idiots, and all of the images in question — which also included depictions of Satanic horned mannequins, because that's also something that a major retailer would definitely put in suburban shopping centers — were AI-generated fakes. "Look at the faces on these children, I feel in my spirit, they even knew there was something satanic with making them be photographed with these clothes on," [reads one such post](), shared on May 30 by the administrators of a Facebook group called Christian Patriots. "If you are a Christian and a parent and you shop at Target, Lord, have mercy on you." "Is this for real?" asked one skeptical commenter. "Unfortunately it is," the page's admin responded. But again, unfortunately for these good ol' Christian Patriots, it *isn't* for real. The images were AI-generated by a Facebook user named Dan Reese, who [first posted]() the phony pictures to a Facebook group called "AI Art Universe" and [separately confirmed to *Reuters*]() that the images in question were created using the text-to-image AI system Midjourney. The images of Satan-worshipping tykes — one of whom was depicted with *tattoos*, by the way — may not have been real, but watching people lose their minds over these fake images as if they *were* real is clearly a [new layer]() of AI-driven internet hell. ![]() ## Seeing Is Believing A spokesperson from Target also confirmed to *Reuters* that the retailer "has never sold" the products depicted in the images, because *of course they haven't, since they don't actually exist*. And for its part, Facebook has thankfully marked the images as phony, but not before other Facebookers sank their teeth into the conspiracy. "Target has really gone over the edge," [reads one May 28 post]() decrying the fake merchandise, which was shared by other users 162 times. "They need to go away too." Then, asked by one user where she had found the images, the poster simply responded "the web," adding that there "are more if you google." So, some really promising media literacy happening in this corner of the internet. ## Culture Warriors Target has recently found itself in the [throes of the anti-trans and homophobic culture wars](), mainly as the result of the retailer's offering gender-affirming and pride-friendly clothing for kids. And to that end, the photos were seemingly created as a joke *mocking* anti-Target far-righters — some of whom, in a particularly ironic turn, then took the images at truth and ran. Anyway, [really looking forward to 2024]()! **More on AI-generated pictures:** [*People Keep Posting Phony AI-Generated Images of Trump Getting Arrested*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()