Snapchat has joined a growing list of major social media platforms taking action against the flood of low-quality, AI-generated content often referred to as “AI slop.”
The platform’s parent company, Snap, announced it will no longer recommend videos created entirely by artificial intelligence in its Spotlight feed, choosing instead to prioritise authentic, human-created content.
The move follows similar initiatives by YouTube, LinkedIn and Substack, all of which have recently introduced measures to curb the spread of AI-generated posts, videos and articles that critics say are repetitive, misleading and damaging to trust online.
While Snap is limiting the visibility of fully AI-generated videos, it is not banning AI altogether. Content enhanced or edited with AI tools, including those provided by Snapchat itself, will continue to be eligible for recommendations.
According to Snap, wholly AI-generated videos are often low-quality, repetitive and fail to meet users’ expectations. Research also suggests audiences increasingly share that view, with studies indicating that repeated exposure to AI-generated material reduces people’s confidence in the authenticity of content across social media.
The latest changes reflect growing concern within the technology industry over the rapid spread of AI-generated content.
Last week, newsletter platform Substack introduced a tool to help readers identify AI-written articles. Chief Executive Chris Best warned that the internet is becoming increasingly difficult to trust, citing research suggesting that as much as 40% of writing on social media may now be fake or AI-generated.
LinkedIn has also stepped up its efforts by introducing a feature that allows users to report posts and comments they believe were generated by AI.
The platform’s Chief Product Officer, Hari Srinivasan, described AI-generated spam as a major priority, revealing that LinkedIn blocks billions of attempts to publish AI-generated comments and intercepts hundreds of thousands of automated comment attempts every day.
LinkedIn stressed it is not discouraging responsible use of AI. Users can still use AI to refine or improve their posts, but the company is removing its AI-powered “enhance” writing prompt in favour of a simpler proofreading tool.
YouTube has also updated its monetisation policies to discourage creators from profiting from mass-produced AI content.
The Google-owned platform will no longer allow generic, repetitive or template-based videos to earn advertising revenue, targeting content commonly produced using generative AI tools.
The changes come after research revealed that numerous YouTube channels built entirely around AI-generated videos had attracted millions of subscribers and generated substantial income.
Matt Halprin, YouTube’s Vice President for Trust and Safety, acknowledged that while AI can help creators produce high-quality content, it is increasingly being used for content farming.
“The same technology enables great creative work,” Halprin said. “But it also enables low-value, mass-produced content, and that’s what we want to discourage.”
As generative AI tools become more powerful and accessible, technology companies are increasingly trying to strike a balance between encouraging innovation and preventing their platforms from being overwhelmed by synthetic, low-quality content that erodes user trust.
