Here comes the AI-content backlash!
Comic books, libraries, subreddits and even Swifties are starting to push back against AI slop.
I’ve been warning for months about the growing threat of an internet dominated by AI-generated content.
Each day, more images, videos, music, reviews, blog posts, product descriptions, video scripts, and social media posts are made by machines, churning them out faster than a person can do without AI help.
My solution for this problem is simple and fair: We should ask content sites for tools to turn off AI-generated content if we want to opt out. (I was surprised to see in AI-focused subreddits a rejection of this idea, with some users explicitly arguing that users should not have the choice to opt out because AI-generated content is “better” than content made by people. This argument makes zero sense to me, but it does suggest a culture of AI zoomerism is out there.
I don’t see many sites offering AI opt-out features. But I do see a growing rejection of AI-generated content.
AI slop is almost comical
DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee promised Wednesday at a retailer event that DC wouldn’t use AI for comics. He said DC comics are “grounded in humanity” and human effort can’t be replicated by algorithms.
Marvel Studios has not issued an official company-wide policy on generative AI and allegedly used AI-generated art in promotional projects, including the opening credits for the “Secret Invasion” series and for posters for “Fantastic Four: First Steps” film. Marvel hasn’t used AI for drawing or writing comic books.
A Swift rejection of AI
This week, Taylor Swift faced backlash from fans after using AI in a video for a scavenger hunt campaign to promote her twelfth studio album, “The Life Of A Show Girl.”
The promotion, launched on October 7 in partnership with Google, invited fans to scan QR codes linking to new content, including a lyric video for “The Fate of Ophelia” featuring visuals made with AI.
Fans saw the AI use and shared proof like mismatched lighting, strange animal images, and uneven fonts.
One reason this bothered fans is that Swift has been a strong opponent of AI slop after being targeted herself by Donald Trump’s campaign, which posted an AI-made endorsement video wrongly saying she supported Trump.
The video was taken down today from Swift’s official YouTube channel.
Librarians say “shhhhhhh” to AI books
Today, we learned that Michigan public libraries, including Flat River Community Library in Greenville and East Lansing Public Library, are not allowing AI books.
Stef Reed, director of Flat River Community Library, said AI-generated books range from badly drawn children’s picture books with nonsensical text to nonfiction books with false information and made-up sources.
Reed told a reporter that AI-generated books often copy natural human language but sound “robotic,” and the layout can show small signs of being created by machines, helping people notice they are made by algorithms.
Evaskis-Garrett said the poor quality of AI-generated books makes them unfit for library collections as they are often inaccurate and “garbage.”
AI-generated nonfiction titles can include fabricated sources and falsehoods, posing risks to library patrons seeking reliable information, according to Evaskis-Garrett.
East Lansing librarians pointed out that AI books often don’t meet their communities’ needs and reading interests, and don’t meet standards for accuracy and engagement.
Both libraries use strict vetting frameworks and multi-layered procedures for stock selection, ensuring nothing goes on the shelves without careful review of its appropriateness and quality.
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Listening to your latest, super intelligent podcast — I feel like you or Emily need to come up with a new term that that’s like deep fake, but has to do with the feeling that people feel when they have been duped by AI. We need a term for that. Or a better one.
I can imagine listening to a podcast for the first five minutes then realizing it’s an AI host. That feels bait and switchy to me— and consumers hate that and that feeling will start to bubble up.