Social platforms diverge on AI content as LinkedIn targets slop

LinkedIn introduced a "Seems like AI slop" button on Thursday, allowing users to flag posts that over-rely on artificial intelligence. The platform is simultaneously removing its "enhance your post" tool and strengthening profile verification to combat automated bot activity.

The scale of the issue is substantial. A study by AI text detection tool Pangram recently found that 40% of long-form posts and 30% of short-form posts on LinkedIn were fully AI-generated.

LinkedIn chief product officer Hari Srinivasan said the company detects and blocks hundreds of thousands of automated comment attempts daily. It has also prevented "billions of other automation attempts (posting at scale, slop) in the last couple months alone." He framed the moderation push as essential to protecting the platform's value.

"Slop is hard to define and the definition changes; this lets us tune our models and make better feeds," he said. "AI slop is a top priority for all of us. We really care about this," he added.

Diverging platform strategies

LinkedIn’s defensive posture reflects a broader split among social media companies regarding synthetic material. Snapchat announced on Friday it would stop recommending fully AI-generated videos in its Spotlight feature. The company wants to ensure the feed remains a place for "authentic creativity from real people."

Snapchat will still allow AI-assisted edits made with its own creative tools. However, these videos will be required to carry transparency indicators.

Meta is taking the opposite approach by leaning heavily into generated media to drive platform growth. The Facebook and Instagram parent recently launched Muse Image and Muse Video, tools designed to let users create AI-generated visuals.

During Meta's second-quarter earnings call this week, CEO Mark Zuckerberg argued that AI generation is a net positive for the business. The new tools will "dramatically expand the universe of content that people can discover across our platform," he said.

Zuckerberg added that the strategy will "make our services a lot more useful and engaging for people." Meta is applying an invisible watermarking system called "Content Seal" to track this media.

For investors, these contrasting approaches present distinct risk profiles. Platforms like LinkedIn and Snapchat are betting that curbing low-quality AI content is necessary to retain their core user bases. Meta is wagering that AI-driven content volume will ultimately offset any potential dilution of human authenticity.