Amelia: the AI Goth girl stirring up the internet

An AI-generated British schoolgirl designed to steer young people away from extremism has unexpectedly become a viral figure in far-right online circles, highlighting the unpredictable power of AI in shaping internet culture.

Meet Amelia, a purple-haired “goth” avatar who carries a miniature Union Jack and has been transformed into a far-right social media personality. Though originally created as part of a UK counter-extremism initiative, Amelia’s image is now circulating widely on platforms like X and Facebook, often paired with nationalist or racist messaging.

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According to a piece published by The Guardian, the character first appeared in Pathways: Navigating the Internet and Extremism, a UK Home Office-funded educational game aimed at teenagers in Yorkshire. The game, featuring Amelia as one of its in-game avatars, guides players through scenarios intended to teach them how to avoid online radicalization. Players could face choices such as engaging with extremist content or attending a fictional political rally, with some decisions triggering referral under the Prevent programme.

Yet, the AI version of Amelia has been co-opted by online users to create a dizzying array of memes, videos, and even fan-made interactions with characters from pop culture, such as Harry Potter or Wallace and Gromit. Some clips depict her wandering through London or the House of Commons, making provocative statements about immigration and religion. The result is a far-right meme phenomenon that has escaped its educational origins.

According to data analyzed by Logically, a UK disinformation-monitoring firm, the first viral Amelia post appeared on X on 9 January and has since amassed over 1.4 million views. The volume of posts has skyrocketed from 500 daily to more than 11,000 in recent days, illustrating the speed at which AI-driven content can spread across global audiences.

In a particularly surreal twist, an Amelia-themed cryptocurrency has emerged, attracting attention from meme enthusiasts and even being shared by high-profile figures like Elon Musk. The founders of the Pathways game say the monetization of hate has been entirely unintended, with the team receiving threats and abuse linked to the meme’s popularity.

Matteo Bergamini, CEO of Shout Out UK, the group behind the original game, stressed that the initiative was designed as a classroom tool alongside wider educational materials, not as a stand-alone product. While some critics argue the “cute goth girl” avatar inadvertently attracted admiration, Bergamini maintains that feedback from schools has been largely positive and that the game continues to serve its intended purpose.

Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue described the meme’s rise as a case study in the far-right’s use of AI content. He notes that Amelia has resonated particularly with young men and the so-called “dissident” far-right, blending humor, sexualised imagery, and political messaging into a potent cultural product.

The Home Office says that Prevent has successfully redirected nearly 6,000 individuals from violent ideologies, and projects like Pathways remain part of broader efforts to combat local radicalisation, despite the unexpected twists in Amelia’s journey from anti-extremism teaching tool to internet meme sensation.