Honestly, does anybody actually want this?
Today, Meta has unveiled its latest AI project, with a custom feed of AI-generated video clips, which it’s calling “Vibes.”
Because it sounds cool, or something.
As you can see in these example images, Vibes presents a full-screen display of purely AI-generated video clips, which users have created within the Meta AI app. You’ll be able to scroll through the clips, like you would on TikTok or Reels, and check out all of the random, almost-realistic-but-not-quite-right, Uncanny Valley-type weird stuff that people have generated from random prompts.
The second screenshot above shows the editor, with viewers also able to share their own AI-generated clips, or remix what people have already shared in the app. Which is another element that Meta’s keen to promote:
“With Vibes, you can start from scratch, work with content you already have, or remix a video from the feed to make it your own. Add new visuals, layer in music, and adjust styles to match your taste. And if you see a Meta AI video on Instagram, you can tap through to remix it in the Meta AI app.”
You’ll also note, down in the bottom function bar in the first screenshot above, that the Meta AI app also remains its home for its AI glasses, with Meta seemingly hoping to make the app a new, central hub for its AI projects.
Which is probably better than foisting all of this AI-generated junk upon people’s Facebook and Instagram feeds. But then again, both apps are already being bogged down with AI slop, and no doubt people who post their AI creations in this new option will also share them to their other profiles as well (note: Meta says you can easily share clips from Vibes to its other apps).
Because why wouldn’t they?
Meta’s made it so easy to pump out random AI-generated junk, that scammers and spammers have every reason to just keep churning out this crap, which is mutated from other content on the web, and then post it to Meta’s apps, in the hopes that some of it gets enough attention that they can monetize it.
And Meta sees this as a positive, as a showcase of just how good its AI generation tools are getting, and how you can now create anything, by simply typing it into existence.
But for most people, the question, really, is “Why?”
Why would people want to share this stuff? It’s, in general, not creative, not original, and also a little off-putting, in that the details are always just slightly off. Which prompts that Uncanny Valley queasiness, and overall, these clips are more like fever dreams or hallucinations, that your brain instinctively repels from.
That’s a generalization, of course, and there are some AI artists who are creating original, interesting content with these new tools. But allowing everyone to post their own doesn’t seem conducive to quality, or compulsiveness, nor is it social, in that these creations are not representative of any real person’s real, lived experience.
But Meta seems pretty excited about it, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg sharing some of his favorite Vibes clips.
And they’ll get better over time, with Meta recently partnering with Midjourney to improve its video generation models.
So, soon, they might look more realistic, and more impressive. But it’ll still be a feed of AI slop, which, in my view, holds little real value, outside of demonstrating Meta’s generative AI capabilities.
And I’m not down on AI in general. There are many applications in which AI tools are driving benefit, and even AI visual generation like this can add value, like in creating VR worlds from AI prompts. That could open up a range of new experiences, but enhancing the focus on AI video seems like a backwards step, which will only increase the amount of fake rubbish, and contribute to the spread of false information.
But Meta, again, seems to think this will be a thing, while X owner Elon Musk has also touted the return of Vine in AI form, which is much the same as this project (I would also note the similarity between “Vibes” and “Vine,” which is undoubtedly not a coincidence).
An unending stream of AI slop, full of random clips of people transforming into animals, depictions of well-known characters saying offensive things, racist stereotypes, cartoon characters, etc.
But also, scenes of fake terror attacks, realistic-looking UFO footage, scenes of politicians fighting, and more.
Why any app would want to encourage this, I don’t know. But go check out Vibes, I guess.
