tech

Rani Molla8/9/24

TikTok — like Meta and X — is also paying users to generate AI slop

TikTok, Meta and X all incentivize users to post on their sites by offering cash for virality. They seem to all be incentivizing bad behavior — made much easier by generative AI.

An excellent Wall Street Journal investigation uncovered 91 TikTok accounts that have served AI generated videos, usually with falsehoods about Donald Trump, to users more than 108 million times.

These accounts, often run by foreign actors sowing chaos, are exploiting TikTok’s creator rewards program, potentially to the tune of $10,000, WSJ reports.

They’re also nothing new. Last week 404 Media found that Meta had been paying users to generate AI junk like Shrimp Jesus.

And last month Sherwood reported on armies of AI bots flooding X with posts and interactions in hopes of low-overhead payoffs.

Foreign TikTok Networks Are Pushing Political Lies to Americans

Foreign TikTok Networks Are Pushing Political Lies to Americans

These accounts, often run by foreign actors sowing chaos, are exploiting TikTok’s creator rewards program, potentially to the tune of $10,000, WSJ reports.

They’re also nothing new. Last week 404 Media found that Meta had been paying users to generate AI junk like Shrimp Jesus.

And last month Sherwood reported on armies of AI bots flooding X with posts and interactions in hopes of low-overhead payoffs.

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tech

Jon Keegan10/1/25

Meta will begin using your AI chats to target you with ads

When Meta rolls out a new product, the company usually waits until that product has a billion users before turning on the ads.

In May, Meta announced that Meta AI has crossed that threshold, saying that more than 1 billion people are using the product every month. Today, Meta announced that it will begin using your conversations and messages with Meta AI to personalize your recommendations and the ads you see.

Meta currently monetizes your activity on Meta platforms using your interactions (likes, shares, attention) to tailor your exposure to Meta’s massive advertising machine. So if you asked Meta AI about travel tips for your upcoming vacation, you might now see more content and ads related to that place. But what if you’re asking Meta AI about how to deal with your depression?

In a blog post, the company shared:

“When people have conversations with Meta AI about topics such as their religious views, sexual orientation, political views, health, racial or ethnic origin, philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, as always, we don’t use those topics to show them ads.”

But Meta has a spotty record when it comes to protecting sensitive personal information from leaking into its ad platform. Meta’s pixel-tracking technology has been found to pick up sensitive information regarding mental heath crises, financial information, and medical information.

Meta says you can manage the ads you see via controls in its privacy settings, but it’s unclear if users can opt out of the use of Meta AI conversations and interactions for ads and recommendations altogether.

The company said users will start to see notifications about the changes this month, which will go into effect on December 16, 2025.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Improving Your Recommendations on Our Apps With AI at Meta

Improving Your Recommendations on Our Apps With AI at Meta

Meta currently monetizes your activity on Meta platforms using your interactions (likes, shares, attention) to tailor your exposure to Meta’s massive advertising machine. So if you asked Meta AI about travel tips for your upcoming vacation, you might now see more content and ads related to that place. But what if you’re asking Meta AI about how to deal with your depression?

In a blog post, the company shared:

“When people have conversations with Meta AI about topics such as their religious views, sexual orientation, political views, health, racial or ethnic origin, philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, as always, we don’t use those topics to show them ads.”

But Meta has a spotty record when it comes to protecting sensitive personal information from leaking into its ad platform. Meta’s pixel-tracking technology has been found to pick up sensitive information regarding mental heath crises, financial information, and medical information.

Meta says you can manage the ads you see via controls in its privacy settings, but it’s unclear if users can opt out of the use of Meta AI conversations and interactions for ads and recommendations altogether.

The company said users will start to see notifications about the changes this month, which will go into effect on December 16, 2025.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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