Odd, often surreal, images appear in social media feeds with the only goal of going viral.
Social media has always been a space for creativity and entertainment. Now, with the development of AI, it is increasingly becoming a platform for something entirely new: AI-generated content.
According to international online research data and analytics firm YouGov, a quarter of respondents from the US who participated in a survey were found to be interested in AI-generated content from artists and musicians. At the same time, 19% of social media users surveyed find AI-generated influencer content especially engaging.
This is why brands are exploring new ways to automate their marketing initiatives with AI capabilities.
For instance, at the Data + AI Summit 2024, Databricks' staff product manager Kasey Uhlenhuth shared a creative example of how franchise owners could use AI agents to analyse local customer data, build targeted campaigns, and craft sales strategies designed to attract their audience.
A perfect use case? This approach could, for example, help a major cookie brand with multiple franchises across the country improve sales at each location.
Imagine Instagram ads promoting their best-selling cookies, featuring AI-generated visuals and personalised captions designed to grab the attention of cookie enthusiasts. In this way, AI can optimise marketing efforts by creating campaigns that feel unique and relevant to each community, ultimately driving engagement and boosting sales.
Initially, Databricks offered franchisees a basic AI model. It worked well but lacked the personal touch needed to meet each business's unique requirements. By incorporating Mosaic AI into their platform, Databricks made the AI agent more versatile and data-centric for each individual franchise, enhancing its effectiveness.
AI-driven marketing tools are advancing quickly. Oracle Eloqua Marketing Automation, for example, uses AI to simplify campaign design and coordination across channels. Its intuitive interface empowers teams to deliver consistent, on-brand messages while seamlessly assisting customers along their journey to become leads.
IBM's watsonx.ai offers another powerful platform, a complete studio for building and deploying AI solutions. With a suite of APIs, tools, and models, it enables teams to quickly bring AI-driven ideas to life, such as generating social media content, blogs, and much more.
That is exactly what Meta is working towards. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, during the third-quarter earnings conference call, said that as AI tools become more prevalent, AI content will increase within social media. According to Zuckerberg, such feeds are actively being worked on inside Meta.
"It's something we're starting to test different things around," he added.
Zuckerberg also revealed that a whole new category of content will be added. This would include AI-generated or AI-summarised content or existing content pulled together by AI in some way.
"And I think that that's gonna be very exciting for Facebook and Instagram and maybe Threads, or other kinds of feed experiences over time," Zuckerberg said.
Zuckerberg highlighted Meta's large language model Llama, the driving force behind some of the company's most successful AI products. Among them is the Meta AI chatbot, which has quickly gained traction, engaging over 500 million users monthly.
Algorithms powered by AI are like the invisible puppeteers that influence and shape what the audience sees and how they think and act on the digital platform.
Zuckerberg emphasised the evolution of content curation on Facebook and Instagram. Initially, these platforms prioritised a "connected" algorithm, showing users posts from friends and family. Eventually, this shifted to an engagement-based algorithm, delivering content from creators and influencers worldwide, personalised by analysing countless "signals" from individual users.
Now, signs of the next phase, AI-driven content, are emerging.
Facebook has become a testing ground for AI-generated content, informally termed 'AI slop' or 'AI crap'. Odd, often surreal, images appear in feeds with the only goal of going viral. These creations aim to tap into Facebook's creator program, which reportedly pays up to $10 per 1,000 likes on a post, as per a 404 Media report. The result is a mix of strange, AI-crafted visuals that capture attention, blurring the lines between digital creativity and sheer algorithmic manipulation.
Social media users have differing opinions on encountering AI-generated content on social media platforms. Data from Statista suggests that 14% of small or medium-sized business (SMB) owners reported using AI for marketing and social media, while 36% said they would consider using AI for this purpose in the future.
As marketers and influencers look forward to amplifying both creativity and efficiency, AI and social media are gradually proving to be a match made in tech heaven.
