Pilmp my AI

Jason Koebler reporting for 404Media:

This:

Instagram is flooded with hundreds of AI-generated influencers who are stealing videos from real models and adult content creators, giving them AI-generated faces, and monetizing their bodies with links to dating sites, Patreon, OnlyFans competitors, and various AI apps. The practice, first reported by 404 Media in April, has since exploded in popularity, showing Instagram is unable or unwilling to stop the flood of AI-generated content on its platform and protect the human creators on Instagram who say they are now competing with AI content in a way that is impacting their ability to make a living. 

and this:

According to our review of more than 1,000 AI-generated Instagram accounts, Discord channels where the people who make this content share tips and discuss strategy, and several guides that explain how to make money by “AI pimping,” it is now trivially easy to make these accounts and monetize them using an assortment of off-the-shelf AI tools and apps. Some of these apps are hosted on the Apple App and Google Play Stores. Our investigation shows that what was once a niche problem on the platform has industrialized in scale, and shows what social media may become in the near future: a space where AI-generated content eclipses that of humans.

and why it's not going to change anytime soon:

“If all of a sudden they got rid of all the bots, the dead accounts, the fake accounts, the imposter accounts, what happens to their advertising?” St James said.

The digital world's a fickle beast, really. One minute, you’re on the cusp of a great internet utopia, and the next, you’re knee-deep in a swamp of clickbait, dubious gurus, and cat videos. Let's not forget those algorithm gods deciding what you should like, share, or endlessly scroll past. It’s a circus out there, and everyone’s juggling their gadgets like their lives depend on it.

Sure, there’s a sprinkle of genuine interaction here and there, but mostly, we’re just riding the wave of whatever trend happens to be peaking at the moment. In this manic quest for engagement, platforms are churning out more of the same, eventually numbing our brains and burning out our patience. Maybe the future’s springing too far ahead for its good.

Either way, all this noise has people longing for good old-fashioned peace—no hashtags required. And so the cycle continues, where razzle-dazzle meets reality, with all eyes peeled for the next great escape. Whether it'll be an impressive evolution or another faux upgrade, that's the million-emoji question.

I don’t need a crystal ball to see where this is heading. Platforms are getting crammed with AI-generated junk, and it’s only a matter of time before people take the hint and move on. Maybe they’ll ditch mainstream channels for something quieter, like Mastodon, or double down on avoiding social media altogether.

When profits start bleeding and suits at the top start panicking, change will come. It always does. But whether it’ll be good or just a shinier kind of mess? Hard to say. The free market’s predictable like that—it builds something new when it breaks. Just don’t expect it to be better.