Research Symposium

BIO

Srinidhi Venkitasamy is a first-year student at Florida State University pursuing dual degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Political Science with a minor in International Affairs, and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Rights and Social Justice with a minor in Criminal Justice and Criminology. She is on the pre-law track and plans to pursue a legal career focused on human trafficking and victim advocacy. Outside of UROP, Srinidhi writes for the Undergraduate Law Review at Florida State University, advocates through the youth lobbying program at Brady: United Against Gun Violence, and serves as the Founding Vice President of External Affairs for Bridge for Civic Leadership Council.

AI Memes and Political Bias

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly prevalent, AI-based media generation tools have rapidly developed and expanded. Among these tools are AI meme generators, which allow users to automatically create memes. However, because these systems are trained on large datasets that may contain embedded ideological patterns, they may reproduce or amplify political bias. Despite their growing use, AI meme generators have not been extensively studied in this context. This study examines whether, and to what extent, AI meme generators demonstrate political bias. The research is grounded in theoretical frameworks of media bias (Stephen J. Lichter, 2017) and internet memes (Limor Shifman, 2013). Specifically, this project asks: To what extent is political bias observable in AI-generated memes, and how does it manifest across (a) format-level features and (b) stance-related features? Additionally, how does political bias vary across topics both between and within different AI meme generators?

Keywords: AI, Artificial Intelligence, Memes, Political Bias