Investigation Finds Actual Source of All That AI Slop on Facebook

"Don't worry. I'll show you how to create images with the help of AI."

Digging Graves

Facebook has been overrun with "slop," in the form of AI-generated images of dubious, nonsensical junk.

Images like "shrimp Jesus," an 18-wheeler overflowing with babies, or a police officer holding a massive holy bible while wading through floodwater, are regularly going viral on the ancient social media network, garnering tens of thousands of likes.

In an effort to chase down the source of all of this slop, 404 Media did some extensive digging and uncovered an entire marketplace dedicated to disseminating AI images of emaciated people, starving children, and natural disasters — all for profit.

The publication came across several high-profile Facebook pages that have in excess of 100,000 followers each. In a video detailing the ruse, YouTuber Gyan Abhishek encouraged others to create pages to share bogus AI-generated images on Facebook to "make money through performance bonus," as quoted by 404 Media.

It's a sad reality: Facebook itself is rewarding people who spread these images on its platform through its Creator Bonus Program, which rewards content that goes viral, indicating that the whole sorry situation is an enormous mess of Meta's own making.

Slop Fest

People like Abhishek are using Microsoft's AI Image Creator to come up with these images, according to the report.

"You must be wondering where you can get these images from," Abhishek explained in his video. "Don't worry. I'll show you how to create images with the help of AI."

His recommendation on where to start with image generator prompts: "poor people thin body."

According to another YouTuber called Carry Techmind, who has 376,000 subscribers, people can make between $3 and $10 per 1,000 likes, a considerable takeaway judging by the effort involved. Many of these spammers are also based in South and Southeast Asia, where the cost of living — and incomes — are much lower.

Meanwhile, Facebook owner Meta is struggling to rein in the flood of AI slop. Layoffs have left the company's moderation teams spread incredibly thin.

"If you can figure out how to post content at scale, that means you can figure out how to exploit weaknesses at scale," a former Meta employee told 404 Media.

Meanwhile, Meta told the publication that many of these AI-generated images are not in violation of its policies, and as long as their reach wasn't being boosted with bots, the program was working as intended.

"We know bad actors adapt their tactics to evade our rules, so we are always working to improve our detection and enforcement," a Meta spokesperson told the publication.

More on AI spam on Facebook: Facebook Is Making Insane AI-Generated Fever Dreams Go Viral for Gullible Boomers