'Side job, self-employed, high-paid': Behind the AI slop flooding TikTok and Facebook

Social media platforms are being flooded with bizarre AI-generated content, known as "AI slop," which is becoming a lucrative venture for creators, platforms, and middlemen. This trend is driven by platform incentives for viral content and the accessibility of AI tools for mass content production. Creators, often from non-Western countries, are using AI to generate and translate content across platforms, with some earning thousands of dollars monthly. This phenomenon raises concerns about content quality, platform authenticity, and the future of social media engagement.