How AI-Generated Allegory Functions In Digital Propaganda
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18326/inject.v11i2.6823Keywords:
Artificial Intelligance, Iran–US Conflict, Visual Semiotics, Animal Allegory, Digital PropagandaAbstract
This article examines how AI-generated allegory functions in digital propaganda through a semiotic analysis of the short video White Eagle Alliance vs. The Persian Cats. Produced by China’s CCTV, the video reframes contemporary geopolitical conflict involving Iran, the United States, and its allies through animal allegory, stylized visual narration, and cinematic battle imagery. Using Roland Barthes’ semiotic framework and a qualitative multimodal analysis of fifteen selected scenes, this study investigates how meaning is constructed at the levels of denotation, connotation, and myth. The findings show that the video operates not merely as a representation of conflict but as a myth-making device that organizes political meaning through binaries of aggression and resistance, domination and defense, imperial threat and heroic struggle. Animal allegory functions to soften explicit political messaging while enhancing emotional appeal, ideological clarity, and audience accessibility. The study argues that AI-generated allegorical propaganda marks a significant shift in digital political communication, where automated visual production and symbolic storytelling converge to produce persuasive wartime narratives in highly shareable media formats.
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