AI is Digital Microplastics

I read an absolutely fantastic article in the Guardian this morning about AI ruining the Internet and how nobody is doing anything to stop it. In fact, it appears that the likes of Meta and X are trying to perpetuate this race to the bottom, competing with OpenAI and others.

AI-generated ‘slop’ is slowly killing the internet, so why is nobody trying to stop it? | Arwa Mahdawi

Low-quality ‘slop’ generated by AI is crowding out genuine humans across the internet, but instead of regulating it, platforms such as Facebook are positively encouraging it. Where does this end, asks Arwa Mahdawi

The GuardianArwa Mahdawi

So, what happens when AI Slop — trained on the worst content imaginable — begins to break containment? You get the Dead Internet Theory:

I don’t fully subscribe to the conspiratorial aspects of the dead internet theory, but there are some indicators that Gen AI is being used to inflate engagement on platforms. This was recently brought to the public’s attention with Meta and their AI characters that you could interact with on Meta platforms (Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp).

Meta shuts down AI character accounts on Facebook, Instagram after outcry

Viral controversy over AI-generated Instagram accounts created by the company led to a search result blackout.

NBC NewsKat Tenbarge

Maybe I’m jaded having come of age in the golden era of the internet, but all of this fake plastic AI schlock — from images to bots to made-up confidently incorrect answers — is infecting the internet like microplastics, and there’s nothing we can do about it.