Snapchat stops rewarding fully AI-generated Spotlight videos

Snapchat announced on Friday that it will no longer reward fully AI-generated videos on Spotlight, its short-video discovery feed, becoming the latest platform to harden its stance against so-called “AI slop.” The company said its recommendation systems will be adjusted so that only videos created by real people are eligible for Spotlight recommendations, as it moves to prioritize human-made content over AI output.

In a blog post, Snapchat said it wants Spotlight to “remain a place where people can discover authentic creativity from real people, because we believe there’s enduring value in rewarding original perspectives, personal storytelling, and the moments that people choose to create and share themselves.” The company drew a distinction between two uses of AI: creators can still rely on its AI creative tools to enhance or edit their content, but a video that is fully generated by AI, rather than merely enhanced by it, will not be surfaced through Spotlight’s recommendation systems.

The move follows a broader industry shift: as criticism of low-quality AI-generated content — often called “AI slop” — continues to rise, many companies are revising their policies to deprioritize such material in their algorithms, add reporting features, or remove certain AI features altogether. LinkedIn recently launched a feature that lets users flag posts with a button labeled “seems like AI slop.” Substack, for its part, introduced a tool to help readers identify AI-written newsletters. Meta faced significant backlash earlier this month over an Instagram feature that let users modify photos from public accounts using AI, leading the company to remove the feature entirely. YouTube, meanwhile, has tightened its monetization policies so that “inauthentic content” — generic, repetitive, or template-based content, and any content featuring AI personas discussing sensitive topics such as health and finance — cannot be monetized.

For Snapchat, the update continues a push it signaled in April, when the company indicated that users would see less AI-generated content in their recommendations. It also follows a separate change last month: a child-safety measure that now limits users aged 13 to 15 to sharing Spotlight posts only with people who follow them back, aimed at guarding against doxxing.

Why it matters

As “AI slop” complaints mount across social platforms, recommendation systems that reward authenticity signals — not just moderation policies — are becoming a competitive differentiator for platforms trying to keep original creators engaged.