The digital landscape, increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, is prompting platforms to re-evaluate the authenticity of content. LinkedIn, the professional networking giant, has recently taken a definitive step in this direction, introducing a “Seems like AI slop” button. This new feature, appearing within a post’s options menu, empowers users to flag content they perceive as low-quality or overly reliant on AI generation. The move comes as the platform grapples with a surge in automated content, having reportedly blocked billions of such attempts in recent months.
Hari Srinivasan, LinkedIn’s chief product officer, articulated the rationale behind this initiative in a recent post, noting that the definition of “slop” is fluid and constantly evolving. He explained that this user feedback mechanism will be crucial for refining the platform’s models and enhancing the quality of its content feeds. Beyond the new flagging tool, LinkedIn is also phasing out its “enhance your post” feature, replacing it with a proofreading tool designed to maintain a user’s original voice. Concurrently, the company has ramped up its bot detection capabilities and reinforced profile and page verification processes. Srinivasan highlighted the scale of the challenge, revealing that hundreds of thousands of automated comment attempts are detected and blocked daily, with billions of broader automation efforts, including large-scale posting, thwarted in just the last couple of months.
While actively combating what it terms “AI slop,” LinkedIn acknowledges that not all AI usage is detrimental. Srinivasan clarified that many individuals leverage AI to refine their thoughts and improve their writing. The new flagging tool, he noted, will also provide feedback to users if their posts are perceived as inauthentic, striking a balance between fostering innovation and preserving genuine human interaction. This proactive stance by LinkedIn underscores a growing concern across the internet regarding the proliferation of AI-generated content, especially since the widespread availability of tools like ChatGPT in late 2022. A study conducted by AI text detection tool Pangram indicated that a significant portion of content on LinkedIn, specifically 40% of long-form posts and 30% of short-form posts, were identified as entirely AI-generated.
LinkedIn is not alone in its efforts to manage the influx of AI-generated material. Snapchat, for instance, recently announced that it would no longer recommend fully AI-generated videos through its Spotlight feature, which curates popular user content. This restriction, however, does not extend to videos enhanced or edited using Snapchat’s proprietary AI creative tools, though these will carry transparency indicators. The company emphasized its desire for Spotlight to remain a space for “authentic creativity from real people,” signaling a broader industry sentiment towards maintaining content integrity.
In contrast to these containment strategies, other major players like Meta are actively integrating AI into content creation. The parent company of Facebook and Instagram has been developing its own suite of generative media models. Earlier this month, Meta unveiled Muse Image, an AI tool capable of generating images from diverse references, including people, objects, and styles. A preview of Muse Video, designed for AI-generated video content, was also released. To address concerns about authenticity, images created with Muse Image incorporate an invisible watermarking system, dubbed “Content Seal,” which persists even if the images are cropped or resized. Meta plans to extend this system to Muse Video in the near future. During a recent earnings call, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed his belief that these AI tools would significantly expand the scope of discoverable content across their platforms, ultimately making their services more engaging for users. This divergence in approaches highlights the ongoing industry debate about how best to navigate the evolving landscape of AI-generated content, balancing innovation with the need for authenticity.
