The internet is facing a new challenge as artificial intelligence (AI) generates a flood of low-quality content across various platforms. This AI-generated “slop” is slowly taking over, diluting the value of genuine human interaction and raising concerns about the future of online engagement. Facebook, in particular, has been inundated with bizarre AI-generated images.
Instead of curbing this trend, the platform has embraced it, with its recommendation algorithms boosting AI-generated material. In 2023, Facebook even introduced AI-powered profiles, which were quickly discontinued after user backlash. The problem extends beyond Facebook, with LinkedIn also facing a surge of lengthy posts filled with moral lessons, uplifting messages, and narratives of overcoming adversity—often lacking in authenticity and relevance.
Tess Bennett, a technology reporter based in Brisbane, highlights the growing issue and the need for platforms to develop sophisticated content moderation tools to maintain the quality and credibility of user-generated content.
AI-generated content takeover
The proliferation of AI-generated content is reminiscent of what Cory Doctorow has termed the “enshittification” of the internet—the degradation of services in pursuit of relentless profit-seeking.
As AI continues to shape our online experience, it remains to be seen whether any regulatory measures will be implemented to curb the spread of low-quality AI-generated content. The explosion of AI has also driven the number of global data centers from 500,000 in 2012 to eight million today. As the industry grows, so do its demands on the planet, prompting urgent questions about sustainability and resource use.
Golestan (Sally) Radwan, chief digital officer of the United Nations Environment Programme, emphasizes the need to ensure the net effect of AI on the planet is positive before deploying it at scale. For now, frustrated users are left grappling with the everyday annoyances AI creates, from filtering search results to questioning whether convenience is worth the environmental cost. As one commenter put it, “The internet is dead.” Whether AI can revitalize it—or further erode it—remains to be seen.
