AI Slop Is Ruining Cute Animals on the Internet
wired ·
AI-generated animal videos and photos are causing widespread distrust and frustration among internet users, pet owners, and animal welfare groups. A lost pet scam is detailed, where a woman received a fake AI image of her missing cat and nearly paid a scammer, but spotted a garbled label. Authentic animal photojournalism organizations like We Animals are now accused of using AI, prompting plans to share verification details and adopt provenance technology. The flood of cheap synthetic content threatens to overshadow real animal rescue and conservation footage, potentially harming fundraising and leading people to question legitimate rescue efforts. Researchers and new laws are being introduced to require AI labeling and encourage ethical guidelines for AI developers regarding animals. Existing verification tools, such as those in ChatGPT, are not widely accessible by default, and WIRED demonstrated that a scam image could be replicated using AI.
wired