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In the era of synthetic social, where AI slop has flooded timelines, brand marketers and agency execs have largely shrugged off concerns. The low-effort, mass produced, AI-generated content, known as AI slop, could have ripple effects on the marketing industry — misinformation, brand copyright, IP and social media saturation. Still, marketers seem unfazed, according to four brand marketers and agency execs Digiday spoke with for this piece.
“AI or otherwise, the key is to make content that audiences gravitate to,” said Haley Schluter, head of North America for Buttermilk influencer agency, in an email to Digiday, later adding, “It’s only when laziness is the driving force that brands risk losing engagement and consumer trust.”
The rise of AI generated content has been notable. Thanks to Sora, OpenAI’s text-to-video app, the lines between human and machine-made content are blurrier than ever. The app allows users to create cameos, in which they can bring themselves and friends into a Sora video. OpenAI has said users can revoke access or remove any video that includes their likeness. But already, the video generator has sparked conversations around copyright infringement and fair use.
On platforms like Pinterest, the so-called slop-ification of content has led to backlash. So much so that Pinterest in October added new tools allowing users to limit how much AI-generated content they see on the platform.
Marketers, however, see things differently. AI-produced creative content promises speed and scale — an oasis in the desert for cash-strapped, do more with less-tasked marketers. Slop, which could be seen as a byproduct of AI-produced creative, is of less concern.
While marketers have seen this show before when it comes to IP and brand imaging being spoofed — think Mastercard’s “Priceless” campaign from the 90s, which was mimicked by everyone from Saturday Night Live to film company A24. But it’s too early to tell what the impacts of AI slop are and will be, some marketers say.
Authenticity, marketers say, is going to be the differentiating factor.
“While we’re not totally against it, some of those AI are going to have a short term in the market, where consumers are interested in them,” said Jennifer Jasnoch, director of marketing for home entertainment at Sony, “but then it’s going to go back to craving that authenticity.”
Some marketers predict quality (although, not necessarily human) made content is going to be what keeps users engaged. And that’s where marketers are going to be placing their bets.
According to a recent BeReal survey, the social media platform reports that 47% of Gen Zers donʼt like AI-generated content, and prefer human-created content. Meanwhile, research from influencer shop Billion Dollar Boy reports that users “respond when AI enhances creativity, but not when it’s used to churn out repetitive, low-quality output.”
“It’s a race to the bottom in terms of what is affected,” said Rogier Vijverberg, chief creative officer and co-founder at Superheroes creative agency. “It will impact a lot, because people will be looking for ways of standing out still and making human contact with people.”
The slop and synthetic social phenomena are relatively new, leaving marketers with questions about the ripple effects. Perhaps the biggest question, as far as Vijverberg is concerned, is standing out amongst the AI slop to catch users’ attention.
“‘AI slop’ can only be offset by true creator content, and it’s more paramount than ever to leverage creators for their integrity, authenticity, ethics and relatability with consumers,” Schluter said.
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