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Low-Quality Videos Generated by Artificial Intelligence Are Spreading on YouTube and Other Networks, Worrying Users and Major Brands.
Nowadays, it is difficult to navigate the internet without coming across AI SLOP, or AI waste. This term describes low-quality content created by artificial intelligence that has already spread on social networks like Instagram and YouTube.
Most importantly, although they are often bizarre or even funny, they pose a problem for brands concerned about safety and appropriateness.
On YouTube, ads from major companies appear alongside these types of videos. An analysis of pages publishing AI-generated content showed ads next to materials ranging from the strange to misinformation. This raises alarms for brands that do not want their image associated with such material.
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London created an artificial mountain to attract tourists to the West End, but the approximately £6 million project opened unfinished, became a public embarrassment, and was eventually dismantled.
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Man goes to the market to buy bread and ‘comes back home with R$ 1.2 million’ in Santos
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Brazil’s largest maritime island is a ‘ship graveyard’, home to the country’s highest island peak at 1,379 meters, preserves 94.6% of Atlantic Forest and holds 21 historic shipwrecks on wild beaches accessible only by trail, boat, or 4×4.
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Shelf stocker at 17, Greg Foran turned down college, rose through the retail ranks, and now takes over Kroger, the largest supermarket chain in the U.S., with BRL 730 billion in revenue and over 2,700 stores.
Channels and Cases Observed
The channel Pan-African Dreams shared misleading information and became famous for a deepfake video of Pope Leo XIV praising Ibrahim Traoré, the military leader of Burkina Faso.
The Vatican responded publicly, and by mid-May, the video had already garnered over 1 million views. On this page, Marketing Brew saw ads for HBO Max, Amazon Hub Delivery, TodayTix, and Visit Florida.
Another example is the channel Banana Adventure, which specializes in strange videos involving characters like Minions and the Joker. It featured ads from Amazon Hub Delivery, Android, and Tia Health. Meanwhile, on the channel Mikey, which posts images and voice-overs of Mickey and Minnie Mouse generated by AI, there were ads from Adobe and Samsung Home Appliances.
According to Nate Funkhouser, a spokesperson for Google, YouTube does not offer advertisers the option to avoid AI-generated content. He explained that the controls are based on the type of content, not the method of production.
Responses and Removals
Brands such as Android, HBO Max, Samsung, TodayTix, and Visit Florida did not respond to requests for comment. Adobe, Amazon Hub Delivery, and Tia Health also did not make a statement. After Marketing Brew reached out to YouTube, the channels Banana Adventure and Pan-African Dreams were removed. The channel Mikey remained active as it did not violate the platform’s rules.
A Game of Whack-a-Mole
Monitoring where ads appear on YouTube is like playing a game of whack-a-mole. Major brands have already been caught next to racist, anti-Semitic, or misinformation content, even while using safety tools. The issue with AI-generated videos amplifies these challenges.
For Anirudh Dhebar, a marketing professor at Babson College, advertising alongside AI-generated content can affect companies’ reputations. This is because even if the brand has no objection to AI, risks arise when the material also involves harmful content. He cites lawsuits from Disney and Universal against Midjourney, accused of facilitating the creation of images based on protected intellectual property.
The Question of Engagement and Moderation
Tyler Folkman, general manager of TubeBuddy, believes that AI “slop” channels should not thrive for long, as they tend to have low engagement.
However, he acknowledges that it is difficult to remove problematic videos due to the size of YouTube.
In March 2024, the platform began requiring creators to disclose when they use AI in videos. Additionally, it maintains policies against spam, scams, hate speech, misinformation, and other prohibited content.
The Dilemma for Advertisers
For Dhebar, the rise of AI “waste” imposes new challenges. He states that advertisers need to balance quick return on investment with the risk of long-term reputational damage.
This dilemma requires caution and more careful management of where advertising campaigns are displayed.
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