Welcome to part one of ‘Slop Week’, where we try to understand the incentives that have led to the internet being filled with incomprehensible, aimless content, and how it’s reshaping the way people communicate online.

Jason Koebler, co-founder of 404 Media and the host of the 404 Media podcast, joins us to talk about his recent investigation into junk AI on Facebook, and the the Indian Youtube influencers making online courses teaching people how to make slop around the clock. Jason explains how the creation of AI Slop is much more calculated and structured than we would otherwise think, how Facebook/Meta uses Indian slop creators to test and train its AI, and whether the internet could malfunction if AI projects are abandoned, leaving behind a whole trail of nonsensical images in its wake. 

Read Jason’s Investigation, “Where AI Slop comes from”, here: https://www.404media.co/where-facebooks-ai-slop-comes-from/

Listen to the 404 Media podcast, here: https://www.404media.co/the-404-media-podcast/

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PALESTINE AID LINKS

https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/how-you-can-help/emergencies/gaza-israel-conflict

PHOEBE ALERT

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Ten Thousand Posts is a show about how everything is posting. It's hosted by Hussein (@HKesvani), Phoebe (@PRHRoy) and produced by Devon (@Devon_onEarth).