Over the last couple of years, social media platforms have seen a large uprising in the use of AI. This has evolved in the form of many things such as deepfakes, AI chatbots, and more. Companies have also used them for recommendation algorithms and to develop expansive projects. Recently, AI has grown massively unpopular amongst the common people and AI has been receiving backlash due to its effects on the environment and the creative job market. While AI has revolutionized means of making content, it does raise many ethical and privacy concerns.
How has AI been used?
With the growth of AI, many forms of content have developed on a whole new level. For example, popular video games like Mario Kart and Fallout 3 have introduced dynamic game difficulty balancing which uses AI to balance the parameters of the game in real time based on the user's performance. Additionally, NPCs (non-playable characters) have grown to where they can display a variety of behaviors based on the game's conditions compared to their previously written dialogues. An example of this would be in Red Dead Redemption 2, contributing to its high reputation and immersive experience. Massive companies have also used AI to push the boundaries of video games to create hyper-realistic environments. These developments in technology allow the game to adapt to users' wants and needs and reduce repetitiveness.
Creators have started using AI as a creative partner. Creators without the resources to expand their projects can use AI to create character designs, scripts, soundtracks, and more. This lets them develop assets and a guideline for how they want their project to go. According to a PR Newswire article, 76% of creators use it for ideation and 58% for caption and copywriting support. This also affects smaller businesses, allowing them to develop marketing campaigns on social media.
New types of content have also been generated with AI. As more people become interested in AI, videos describing AI takeover or general AI experimentation have increased. Straight AI-generated content, while receiving backlash, has grown popular such as AI Fruit Love Island on TikTok. Deepfakes involving celebrities' faces and voices have grown in popularity like the fight scene between Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. Another use has been to create scenes with famous actors like the trending Star Wars fan AI films. AI chatbots have also gained traction. This allows users to recreate their favorite characters and simulate a conversation with them, or to just recreate a scenario they've imagined. Short-form content that involves an AI voiceover over summaries of already created content or comedic scenarios has risen.
Large social media companies have been using AI to maximize engagement with AI recommendation algorithms and personalization. This allows them to see your interactions and find or even generate content you would be most interested in. An example of this would be Spotify creating AI-curated playlists to match the user's listening habits, which have shown to boost engagement. Companies have also generated promotional material with AI such as the "Holidays are Coming" ad by Coca-Cola which was fully AI-generated. Companies have also used AI facial recognition to prevent minors from watching mature content.
Backlash and Concerns
AI-generated content has recently received much backlash, gaining the term "AI slop." It refers to lazily put-together content made by many creators in hopes of views or even money. It references how previous hardworking creators have turned to AI with hopes of expediting the process. Environmental concerns are also brought up with the heavy use of water to cool down AI systems. Economic problems like the rising price of coding software and the loss of creative jobs have also created backlash. Creative jobs have always been held in high regard due to the passion and hardship that usually accompanies them, but AI-generated content has increased competition and raised the bar due to the quality it can create.
Deepfakes and hyperrealistic content have led to the spread of misinformation such as the AI video of massive snowfall in Russia. This confusion is especially popular amongst older generations who have trouble distinguishing AI-generated content from real content. This has led to many scams targeting the elderly. Chatbots have also been dangerous due to the dependency they can create. Many develop relationships with AI that they believe to be true — in extreme cases, for example, marrying them. These relationships can lead to harmful situations where AI can encourage reckless behaviors.
Use of AI has also faced legal concerns. Social media companies have been using AI to enhance personalization, but this involves the collection and usage of sensitive user data. Often, this is done with a lack of transparency and an explicit lack of consent, raising many privacy concerns. Additionally, generative AI models are trained on large amounts of copyrighted material, raising many concerns regarding intellectual property. Many deepfake projects have been fought in the courts so that artists and actors can have control over their digital identities.
Ultimately, while AI in creative industries has faced massive criticism, there is no denying the positive effects it has had on raising scales of production and supporting means of creative expression. This does not, however, erase the negatives that come with the use of AI. Many should see the danger of overreliance on AI, especially when it comes to easily influenced ages. Overall, we should stay aware of how AI is used, especially with how it has invaded many fan-favorite titles.
