YouTube has begun to fill with AI-generated content. Spain appears in an unexpected position

Something has noticeably changed in the YouTube experience. A recent analysis points to a notable change in the type of videos that make their way into the feed, with a high presence of content generated with artificial intelligence and with Spain standing out within that context. We are not talking about a passing fad or experimental creativity, but rather a pattern that responds to how attention is rewarded today. To understand what we are talking about, it is worth clarifying the terms that are repeated in the studies. “AI slop“is used to describe automatically generated videos, with very low standards and designed to be mass produced, prioritizing quantity over content.”brainrot” expands that idea and encompasses pieces that, with or without artificial intelligence, seek to retain the viewer based on repetitive stimuli and without a clear narrative. They are disputed labels, but useful to describe a type of content designed above all to capture attention. How the phenomenon has been measured. To put figures to this trend, Kapwing reviewed the 100 YouTube channels considered “trend” in each country through Playboard and isolated those he identified as AI slop. From there, he collected public data on views, subscribers, and estimated revenue with Social Blade and added them by country. Additionally, the team created a new YouTube account and reviewed the first 500 Shorts in the feed to see what a user with no previous history finds. What exactly does the data say about Spain. When breaking down the results by country, Spain stands out for a very specific reason. Channels of this type that fall into the “trend” category accumulate more than 20 million subscribers, more than any other country analyzed. However, the number of channels is small. The study itself indicates that this combination reveals a strong concentration of audience in few profiles, a key factor to understand why Spain appears so high in the ranking. The comparative analysis shows that there is no single global pattern. There are countries that stand out for the number of channels identified, others for the total number of views and others for the loyalty of their audiences. South Korea, for example, has a much higher number of views than the rest, while the United States is among the first in terms of aggregate volume of followers. This diversity reinforces a central idea of ​​the report: the impact of this type of content depends both on the local ecosystem and how algorithms respond in each market. Patterns that repeat in the videos. When reviewing this content, very recognizable formulas appear: animals with human features and cartoon aesthetics, with an almost photographic finish, placed in “story” mini-scenes that can be understood in seconds. Examples usually include baby monkeys that star in emotional or exaggerated situations, animals that “save” people in impossible accidents, or everyday scenes turned into fables, such as a cat shopping in a market. The Guardian highlights that many pieces dispense with a clear narrative and work by immediate impact, repetition and familiarity, three ingredients that fit well with the logic of the feed. Why this model is attractive. According to The Guardianmany creators approach this type of content not out of creative affinity, but out of pure profitability. Automated tools reduce costs and allow you to test ideas almost unlimitedly, while monetization programs promise income that is difficult to match in other local jobs. The result is a constant trial logic, where what works is replicated and what doesn’t is discarded, in an environment in which the algorithm decides more than the author. Regardless of who produces these videos, the impact is clearly perceived from the other side of the screen. Kapwing created a new account and counted the first 500 Shorts in the feed: 104 were AI-generated content, 21%, and 165 fit into “brainrot”, 33%. The Guardian summarizes that finding as “more than 20%” of AI slop in a new user experience. The data does not allow us to describe all of YouTube, but it does suggest that this material is part of the initial menu offered by the algorithm. The official response and its limits. YouTube maintained in statements to the aforementioned newspaper that videos generated with AI must meet the same standards as any other content and that it acts when its policies are violated. However, the platform does not offer public figures that allow us to know how many views correspond to this type of materials or how they influence the total. This opacity forces us to rely on external studies and leaves open the question of whether the algorithm prioritizes these videos or simply reflects their proliferation. Images | Ganes AI official 5286 | Lily Video AI | Dipto Fun Tv | Sparks Adventures (YouTube) | Kapwing In Xataka | We believed that Stack Overflow was essential for programming. AI is proving the opposite

Etsy was a haven for crafts and creativity. It has become a minefield of AI-generated images

That AI leaves us without jobs It is one of the great concerns of recent years. It is not yet clear what it will be the impact of AI on the labor marketWhat we do know is that There are people doing business taking advantage of generative AI. This is what’s happening on Etsy, where there is an overwhelming amount of “custom art” for sale that is actually made with AI. what’s happening. Etsy is the platform for artists par excellence. Here we can order a personalized portrait of our pet or family in a multitude of styles. Everything normal, except that many of the results if we search for “custom portrait” They are images made by AI. If we look for specific styles that have recently gone viral such as Ghibli, anime or Pixar, AI dominates practically everything. Also, some are not exactly cheap, like this Ghibli style portrait which costs almost 20 euros in digital format. If we want to print it it goes up to more than 46 euros. Why is it important. AI is here to stay and The debate about whether we can consider it art is there. The problem is that, at least for now, the lack of transparency is flagrant. I’ve searched for these types of “custom portraits” on Etsy and have only found a couple of sellers that mentioned the use of AI in the creative process, The rest is not only that they don’t mention it, it’s that they say things like “Original work of art” or “I can’t wait to draw you.” There is a clear intention to hide the use of generative AI. The objective is obvious: to capture an audience that does not know how AI tools work and to whom paying 20 euros for a “personalized portrait” seems like a more than reasonable price. Shall we tell them? AI for everything. Not only do they make the items with AI, there are stores that seem to be managed entirely by one. Some buyers say they felt like they were talking to an AI, which they probably did. There are stores where all the titles, descriptions and comments in response to reviews are clearly made with AI. In fact, Etsy itself launched a few months ago a tool to create titles using artificial intelligence. When you upload an article you can mark that it is made with AI. What Etsy says. Despite the rejection from a large part of the communitythe platform allows the sale of items generated with AI. According to the standards that were published in 2024Etsy considers that the seller continues to provide creativity when designing the prompt, but yes: “Sellers must indicate in the description of their listing if an item has been created with the use of AI.” However, given the volume of unlabeled AI-generated products, it seems they are quite lax about this. More deceptions. In addition to selling AI-generated images by passing them off as handmade, there are other uses of AI to boost sales. We already saw it with the impossible to sew crochet patternsthere are sellers using AI images to promote your products (real) and we have also found it in some Amazon items; It’s the classic “what you ask for vs what you get.” And there is still more. At Idealista they are also using AI in house sale ads “so you can see how it would look renovated.” Vertiginous. At the beginning of the year we talked about the junk AI that was filling Instagram and TikTok; They were very disturbing videos, but it was very evident that they were made with AI. The examples we have given are also easy to detect for a trained eye, but the advances are dizzying. Today, distinguish what is real and what is not practically impossible. Hoaxes like Etsy’s “AI art” will be an anecdote compared to what is to come. Image | Etsy In Xataka | AI is transforming the relationship we have with our own ideas: we no longer create, we just “edit” ourselves

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