AI Slop Backlash Forces Meta, Google, Snapchat to Reverse Course

The AI backlash that’s been brewing for years is finally changing corporate behavior. A WIRED report cites a new Gallup poll showing that Americans’ increased familiarity with generative AI coincides with negative attitudes — especially among 18-to-29-year-olds, where nearly half see it as doing more harm than good. This resentment stems from a deep sense of non-consent: users didn’t ask for their data to be scraped, for deepfake tools to appear on Instagram, or for AI-generated answers to dominate Google Search. As NYU professor Meredith Broussard puts it, “The AI revolution has happened, and everybody hates it.” The industry is responding, though sometimes only after public pressure forces it to.

Companies have begun reversing or restricting features. LinkedIn now offers a “seems like AI slop” button for reporting AI-generated content, even as it keeps its own AI tools. Snapchat excluded fully AI-generated videos from its discovery feed, and Substack added an AI detector for writers. More strikingly, Meta disabled its Instagram deepfake tool after just three days of viral outcry, while Google pulled its generative AI feature for editing satellite images on Google Earth nearly immediately following a 404 Media report. Meanwhile, protests against data centers are uniting Americans across the political spectrum, with Emily Bender, coauthor of The AI Con, calling data centers “focal points of environmental and economic damage.” The message is clear: users are pushing back, and companies are starting to listen — albeit grudgingly.