Recent trends across social media have shown a surge in videos generated by artificial intelligence, captivating audiences with quirky and often pointless facilities. Among these is the YouTube channel Funtastic YT, which stands out, featuring the whimsical animated adventures of a kitten and its father. Created by Mark Lawrence I Galilao, a 21-year-old student from the Philippines, the channel features colorful, simple animations and humorous computer-generated narration.
One video features an animated kitten asking her father, “Dad, can you swim in this slime pool?” The carefree scene quickly becomes absurd as his father slumped into the pool pleads for help. These videos have accumulated millions of views, some individually, as similar vignettes showcase antics such as riding pancake blimps and swimming in gummy bear pools.
While viewers enjoy interesting content, critics argue that such videos contribute to a phenomenon known as “AI Slop” and are characterized by low-effort and repetitive creations. Adam Bumas of Garbage Day, a newsletter, explained that these shorts lack authentic creativity and educational value. This was created primarily to involve the viewer in algorithm-driven strategies. Jason Koebler, co-founder of 404Media, repeated this sentiment, claiming that the intention behind these videos is often to generate clicks rather than artistic expressions.
Despite criticism, Galilao sees his work as a creative quest for AI technology. Producing one or two clips every day, he spends around a hour or two per video, using AI tools such as ChatGpt and Klingai to create and animation characters. He has found significant economic success through the channel, with revenue peaking at $9,000 a month. This is an impressive amount compared to a typical entry-level employment salary.
However, the widespread emergence of AI-generated content raises concerns about its impact on other creators who rely on traditional methods. Koebler highlights the challenge of discoverability, suggesting that mass-produced, mass-produced AI videos mask talent-driven creators and ultimately make it difficult to gain visibility in the noise.
Furthermore, the emergence of misleading AI content raises great concern. Instances of manufactured videos featuring celebrities have been reported, indicating possible misinformation. Galilao’s success has been influenced by current trends to incorporate popular AI-generated characters into the kitten story and attract more attention.
In response to the growing prevalence of AI content, social media platforms are beginning to implement strategies to address the influx. Platforms like Tiktok and Instagram have labelled content generated by AI, but YouTube has recently updated its policy to address “fraudulent” content, including repeated or mass-produced videos. However, experts argue that these measures may not explicitly target AI-generated content, and that social media giants tend to adopt AI as a central component of future content creation.
Galilao is amazed by the criticism and highlights the engagement his video can get. With nearly 600,000 subscribers and nearly 500 million viewers across his channel, he finds value in the interactions between viewers. Initially disappointed by negative comments, he embraced them as part of the entertainment situation and recognizes that every part of his engagement contributes to the success of his channel. As AI-generated content continues to evolve, it is closely monitored for its impact on both creators and audiences.
