Online Platforms Roll Out Filters to Combat AI Slop Flooding the Internet

Online platforms offer filtering to fight AI slop

New York (AFP) - As "AI slop" floods the internet, efforts are mounting to stem an online deluge of shoddy images and videos made using increasingly advanced tech tools. Easily accessible generative artificial intelligence tools, such as Google's Veo and OpenAI's Sora, enable the creation of realistic imagery using just a few descriptive words. Images of cats painting, celebrities in compromising situations, and cartoon characters endorsing products are among the AI-generated detritus proliferating on social networks and video-sharing platforms. "The rise of AI has raised concerns about low-quality content -- also known as AI slop," YouTube chief executive Neal Mohan said of the irksome phenomenon. Such content is "cheap, bland and mass-produced," Swiss engineer Yves, who declined to give his last name, told AFP, echoing discussions on social media website Reddit. Brands like Equinox gyms and Almond Breeze almond milk have played off AI slop frustration in recent ad campaigns, offering themselves as authentic, real alternatives. Meanwhile, Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella has urged people to move beyond the debate over whether AI creations are slop or sophistication to embracing the technology as a way to amplify creativity and productivity. Microsoft is among the tech giants investing heavily in AI. "At its core, the criticism of AI slop is the criticism of some individual's creative expression," argued Bob Doyle, a YouTube personality specializing in AI-driven media creation. "You may think it's useless, but to them it's the beginning of an idea; a seed." -- Machine made -- However, online bulletin board Pinterest saw fit late last year to begin allowing users to filter out some AI-generated content. Pinterest told AFP that it added the filter after hearing from people who wanted to see fewer synthetic images. TikTok introduced a similar filter on its globally popular video platform late last year. YouTube, along with Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook, also offers ways to reduce the amount of synthetic imagery their users encounter, but gives no clear-cut filter. Major social media platforms had previously focused primarily on labeling AI-created videos so viewers would not mistake them for showing real scenes, but ample synthetic content seemed to avoid the labels. Some smaller tech players, such as streaming platform Coda Music, have introduced measures such as having users report AI creations. Once confirmed, accounts get labeled as AI artists so listeners know what they are getting, according to Coda founder and chief executive Randy Fusee. "There has been a lot of participation in the identification of AI artists so far," Fusee told AFP. "By and large, (Coda users) just don't want AI music." Coda, which reports having some 2,500 users, offers the option of completely blocking AI content from suggested playlists. Cara, a social network for artists and designers with more than a million users, relies on a combination of algorithms and human moderation to filter AI-generated content. "People want the human connection," said Cara founder Jingna Zhang. "I could like a child's drawing because I'm charmed by it, as opposed to (something made by) a machine with no intention."

How to dial down the AI slop on platforms

If you want fewer cartoonish videos of dead celebrities, creepy or absurd images or fake bands playing synthetic tunes, a few platforms have rolled out settings and features to help minimize AI-generated content. Here is a guide on how to use them. But first, a caveat from Henry Ajder, who advises businesses and governments on AI and has been studying deepfakes since 2018. He warned that it's "incredibly difficult" to entirely remove AI slop content entirely from all your feeds. He compared AI slop to the smog generated from the industrial revolution, when there weren't any pollution controls in place.

Fed Up With AI Slop? These Platforms Will Let You Dial it Down

If you want fewer cartoonish videos of dead celebrities, creepy or absurd images or fake bands playing synthetic tunes, a few platforms have rolled out settings and features to help minimize AI-generated content. Here is a guide on how to use them. But first, a caveat from Henry Ajder, who advises businesses and governments on AI and has been studying deepfakes since 2018. He warned that it's "incredibly difficult" to entirely remove AI slop content entirely from all your feeds. He compared AI slop to the smog generated from the industrial revolution, when there weren't any pollution controls in place.

One Tech Tip: Fed up With AI Slop? A Few Platforms Will Let You Dial It Down

AI slop seems to be everywhere. Low-quality digital content made with artificial intelligence has flooded our feeds, screens and speakers. Is there anything we can do about it? If you want fewer cartoonish videos of dead celebrities, creepy or absurd images or fake bands playing synthetic tunes, a few platforms have rolled out settings and features to help minimize AI-generated content. Here is a guide on how to use them. But first, a caveat from Henry Ajder, who advises businesses and governments on AI and has been studying deepfakes since 2018. He warned that it's "incredibly difficult" to entirely remove AI slop content entirely from all your feeds. He compared AI slop to the smog generated from the industrial revolution, when there weren't any pollution controls in place. "It's going to be very, very hard for people to avoid inhaling, in this analogy." Pinterest Pinterest's move to lean into the AI boom made it something of a poster child for the AI slop problem, as user complained that the online moodboard for pinning inspirational material by themes has become overrun with AI content. So Pinterest recently rolled out a "tuner" that lets users adjust the amount of AI content they see in their feeds. It rolled out first on Android and desktop operating systems, before starting on a more gradual roll out on iOS. "Now, users can dial down the AI and add more of a human touch," Pinterest said, adding that it would initially cover some categories that are "highly prone to AI modification or generation" such as beauty, art, fashion and home decor. More categories have since been added, including architecture, art, beauty, entertainment, men's, women's and children's fashion, health, home décor, and sport, food and drink. To use the tuner, go to Settings and then to "refine your recommendations." and then tap on GenAI interests, where you can use toggles to indicate the categories you'd like to see less AI-content. TikTok It's no surprise that AI-generated videos proliferate on TikTok, the short-video sharing app. The company says there are at least 1.3 billion video clips on its platform it has labeled as AI-generated. TikTok said in November it was testing an update to give users more control of the AI-generated content in their For You feeds. It's not clear when it will be widely available. TikTok did not respond to requests for comment. To see if you have it on the TikTok mobile app, go to Settings, then Content Preferences, then to Manage Topics where you'll see a set of sliders to control various types of content, such as dance, humor, lifestyle and nature. You can also access the controls from the For You feed, by tapping the Share button on the side of a post, then tap Why this Video, then Adjust your For You, and then Manage topics. There should be a new slider that allows you to dial down -- or turn up -- the amount of AI-generated content that you receive. If you don't see it yet, it might be because you haven't received the update yet. TikTok said late last year that it would start testing the feature in coming weeks. These controls are not available on the desktop browser interface. You won't be able to get red of AI content altogether -- TikTok says the controls are used to tailor the content rather than removing or replacing it entirely from feeds. "This means that people who love AI-generated history content can see more of this content, while those who'd rather see less can choose to dial things down," it said. Deezer Song generation tools like Suno and Udio let users create music merely by typing some ideas into a chatbot window. Anyone can use them to spit out polished pop songs, but it also means streaming services have been flooded with AI tunes, often by accounts masquerading as real artists. Among the music streaming platforms, only Deezer, a smaller European-based player, gives listeners a way to tell them apart by labeling songs as AI. "Deezer has been really, really pushing the anti-AI generation music narrative," said Henry Ajder. Deezer says 60,000 fully AI-generated tracks, or more than 39% of the daily total, are uploaded to its platform every day and last year it detected and labeled more than 13.4 million AI tracks. The company says the people doing it are trying to make money by fraudulent streams. Change your platform If you can tear yourself away from Big Tech platforms, there are a new generation of apps targeting users who want to avoid AI. Cara is a portfolio-sharing platform for artists that bans AI-generated work. Pixelfed is an ad-free Instagram rival where users can join different servers, or communities, including one for art that does not allow AI-generated content. Spread is a new social media platform with content for people who want to "access human ideas" and "escape the flood of AI slop." Watch out for the upcoming launch of diVine, a reboot of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey's defunct short form video app Vine. The app has only been available as a limited prerelease for Apple iOS. It promises "No AI Slop" and uses multiple approaches to detect AI. An Android beta app is expected soon. The company plans to launch it in app stores soon but needs more time to get ready for unexpectedly high demand. ___ Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at [email protected] with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.

Online platforms offer filtering to fight AI slop

As "AI slop" floods the internet, efforts are mounting to stem an online deluge of shoddy images and videos made using increasingly advanced tech tools. Easily accessible generative artificial intelligence tools, such as Google's Veo and OpenAI's Sora, enable the creation of realistic imagery using just a few descriptive words. Images of cats painting, celebrities in compromising situations, and cartoon characters endorsing products are among the AI-generated detritus proliferating on social networks and video-sharing platforms. "The rise of AI has raised concerns about low-quality content - also known as AI slop," YouTube chief executive Neal Mohan said of the irksome phenomenon. Such content is "cheap, bland and mass-produced," Swiss engineer Yves, who declined to give his last name, told AFP, echoing discussions on social media website Reddit. Brands like Equinox gyms and Almond Breeze almond milk have played off AI slop frustration in recent ad campaigns, offering themselves as authentic, real alternatives. Meanwhile, Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella has urged people to move beyond the debate over whether AI creations are slop or sophistication to embracing the technology as a way to amplify creativity and productivity. Microsoft is among the tech giants investing heavily in AI. "At its core, the criticism of AI slop is the criticism of some individual's creative expression," argued Bob Doyle, a YouTube personality specializing in AI-driven media creation. "You may think it's useless, but to them it's the beginning of an idea; a seed." Machine made However, online bulletin board Pinterest saw fit late last year to begin allowing users to filter out some AI-generated content. Pinterest told AFP that it added the filter after hearing from people who wanted to see fewer synthetic images. TikTok introduced a similar filter on its globally popular video platform late last year. YouTube, along with Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook, also offers ways to reduce the amount of synthetic imagery their users encounter, but gives no clear-cut filter. Major social media platforms had previously focused primarily on labeling AI-created videos so viewers would not mistake them for showing real scenes, but ample synthetic content seemed to avoid the labels. Some smaller tech players, such as streaming platform Coda Music, have introduced measures such as having users report AI creations. Once confirmed, accounts get labeled as AI artists so listeners know what they are getting, according to Coda founder and chief executive Randy Fusee. "There has been a lot of participation in the identification of AI artists so far," Fusee told AFP. "By and large, (Coda users) just don't want AI music." Coda, which reports having some 2,500 users, offers the option of completely blocking AI content from suggested playlists. Cara, a social network for artists and designers with more than a million users, relies on a combination of algorithms and human moderation to filter AI-generated content. "People want the human connection," said Cara founder Jingna Zhang. "I could like a child's drawing because I'm charmed by it, as opposed to (something made by) a machine with no intention."