Snapchat has become the latest major social media platform to take action against low-quality content created entirely with artificial intelligence.
Snap, the company behind Snapchat, said videos produced wholly by AI will no longer be eligible for recommendations in Spotlight, its public feed for short-form videos. The platform will instead give greater visibility to original content created by real people.
The change targets what has become widely known as “AI slop,” a term used to describe repetitive, generic or poor-quality material produced quickly using generative AI tools.
Snapchat is not banning every form of AI-assisted content. Creators will still be able to use the company’s AI tools to edit, enhance or transform their videos. Content that includes some AI assistance may continue to appear in Spotlight, provided the underlying work is not entirely machine-generated.
Snap said it wants Spotlight to remain a platform where users can discover personal stories, original ideas and authentic moments shared by real people.
The company acknowledged that fully generated AI videos are often repetitive and may not offer the type of experience Snapchat users expect. By changing its recommendation system, Snap hopes to reward creators who invest time in producing distinctive content.
The policy means wholly AI-generated videos may receive significantly less exposure, even when creators clearly disclose that artificial intelligence was used.
The company’s approach creates a distinction between AI as a creative tool and AI as a replacement for human participation. Editing a video with AI may still be accepted, while submitting a video produced entirely by an external AI system could prevent it from being recommended.
Generative AI tools have made it easier for people to create articles, images, music and realistic videos within minutes.
While the technology has opened new creative opportunities, it has also led to a rapid increase in automated content. Users can now operate multiple accounts, publish large volumes of posts and copy popular formats with little human involvement.
The result has been a flood of material that can appear polished but may lack originality, accuracy or meaningful creative input.
Concerns are also growing that repeated exposure to synthetic content could make users less confident that anything they see online is genuine. Platforms depend on trust and engagement, creating pressure for them to prevent automated posts from overwhelming material created by people.
LinkedIn has also increased its efforts to identify and restrict automated content.
The professional networking platform introduced an option allowing users to report posts and comments that appear to be AI slop. LinkedIn said it has blocked billions of attempts to publish AI-generated comments and continues to detect hundreds of thousands of automated comment attempts each day.
The company is not seeking to punish every user who relies on AI. Professionals may still use artificial intelligence to refine their writing, correct grammar or organise their ideas.
However, LinkedIn is moving away from features that encourage users to generate or extensively rewrite posts through AI. An automated writing enhancement prompt is being replaced with a more limited proofreading tool.
The decision reflects concerns that professional feeds are becoming filled with formulaic posts and generic comments designed to increase visibility rather than contribute meaningful discussion.
YouTube has also clarified which types of content can earn money through its creator programme.
The video platform is focusing on material it considers inauthentic, including videos that are generic, repetitive or produced from templates. These formats can be created quickly and at a large scale using AI video generators, synthetic voices and automated scripts.
AI tools remain permitted on YouTube, and creators can continue using them to support production. The platform’s main concern is content farming, where accounts publish large amounts of similar material primarily to attract views and advertising revenue.
Some AI-generated YouTube channels have gained millions of subscribers and generated substantial income, increasing pressure on the company to ensure its monetisation system rewards originality.
Newsletter platform Substack has introduced technology designed to help readers identify writing that may have been generated by artificial intelligence.
The move comes as publishers and readers find it increasingly difficult to distinguish between original human writing and content produced by language models.
Substack has warned that platforms which financially reward artificial or misleading content risk creating a race toward lower quality. The company’s approach focuses on transparency, giving readers more information about how an article may have been produced.
The recent changes do not suggest that technology companies are abandoning generative AI.
Snapchat offers several AI-powered products, including creative editing tools and its My AI chatbot. LinkedIn, YouTube and other platforms also use artificial intelligence throughout their services.
Instead, companies are trying to determine where AI supports creativity and where it encourages spam, imitation or mass-produced content.
That distinction may become increasingly important as AI-generated videos become more realistic and harder to identify. Platforms will need to improve detection systems while avoiding penalties for creators who use AI responsibly.
Snapchat’s Spotlight policy shows how the industry may approach the issue. AI can remain available as a tool, but platforms may reserve recommendations, financial rewards and greater visibility for content that includes meaningful human involvement.
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