AI Slop
LinkedIn recently added a report AI generated slop button, YouTube reportedly removed 130,000+ channels and Snap removed the ability for AI generated content to be featured (and monetized) via Spotlight. Substack added their AI detection, leading to a few writers having to explain their use of AI.
What these removals are, is AI content masquerading as human content. At least that’s the intent. If you betray an audience’s expectations by trying to pass off, we’re going to remove you.
This makes the space for what comes next, is AI content that users know is AI content.
An earlier Dux, dug into, will we watch AI content? A key takeaway: “Audiences will follow a story, a format, a personality. So the first big hit won’t be a blockbuster, it’ll be something like Red vs Blue, the web series, that was made using the game Halo. Which was entertaining, grounded in a premise of the game.” An expansion on that takeaway in 2026 would be, we will watch, if it meets our expectations.
Uncanny valley, is a phrase in gaming, when things get too close to being human, but isn’t, the eye picks up on it and audiences intuitively reject it. When AI content is mixed with human content, it’s engagement in the human content that loses, because audiences don’t trust the source. Which is the platforms objective.
The nonobvious implication, is that making space for AI content, creates opportunity for AI generated content that does meet audiences expectations. And we’ve yet to see the big AI hit. But it’s coming.
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Tactic
If you believe fully generated AI content has a place with your audiences, now’s the time to test it.
Vice versa, if you don’t, now’s an opportune time to hero your humanness. Like TBWA are doing.
Dig deeper
LinkedIn adds a button to report AI generated slop.
Rewarding authentic content on Spotlight.
YouTube has reportedly deleted 130,000 channels.
TBWA refreshes global visual identity, emphasizing the human touch.
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