... which leads me to believe that YouTube knows it is pushing AI slop and could reduce the amount they promote if they chose to do so.

Instead they are chasing the short term profit and ignoring the long term damage it will do to their own credibility and society in general.

It's also possible we are on the path to Idiocracy where advertisers are actively seeking out the most gullible and easily fleeced internet audience they can find -- those people who will buy any sort of snake oil.

"the Internet will soon be little more than robots generating artificial content consumed by a user base that is mostly other robots."

We are definitely headed that direction. And considering that robots don't buy anything, advertisers really must adjust their concept of the marketplace.

Personally, I spend almost no time on TV because the slop factor has been so high there for the past decade. I would watch sports, but most of what I might watch is now on one of 100 streaming services, each one requiring a subscription. No, thanks. The games aren't that great anyway. I spend more time listening to podcasts. They are all over the map, but I have found some that are quite interesting, informative and educational.

where they are imitating a lawyer and a journalist started up about 10-12 days ago. I have watched them gain steam and they are getting new signups like crazy, meanwhile delivering lies about how trump is going down. Who wouldn't want to hear that? No wonder they are gaining viewers.

I watch the comments, too. A few people recognize it as AI and say so, but not enough.

I’ve seen this explosion on youtube and most commenters are too stupid they’re realize it. But why go to all the trouble? Is it someone trying to make money so they just use AI to generate lots and lots of easy and cheap videos, is it state actors trying to push a narrative? Seems like YT should not monetize the content.