AI Slop Is Ruining Reddit for Everyone
Summary
Volunteer moderators and longtime Reddit users report a growing tide of AI-generated and AI-polished posts that are degrading the platform’s authenticity and increasing moderation burdens. Communities built around personal stories — especially the many “AITA”-style subreddits — are seeing repetitive, plausible-sounding fabrications and heavily edited submissions. Moderators describe an “AI feedback loop” where people copy AI patterns, AI trains on that content, and the cycle accelerates, producing what many call “AI slop.”
The problems include poor detection tools for AI text, targeted rage-bait aimed at marginalised groups, automated disinformation in political communities, and small-scale monetisation schemes that exploit karma. Reddit says it allows clearly labelled AI content but reports millions of removals; still, volunteers say the workload and loss of trust are mounting.
Key Points
- Moderators estimate a significant portion of posts are created or edited with AI, making authenticity harder to judge.
- ‘AITA’ and similar subreddits are especially affected by recurring, formulaic stories that feel AI-generated.
- There are no foolproof detectors for AI text; moderators rely on heuristics and intuition.
- AI makes it easier to produce targeted rage-bait and disinformation, often harming trans people and other vulnerable groups.
- Some actors monetise AI content by farming karma, selling accounts or using gained credibility to promote paid services.
- Reddit reported over 40 million spam/manipulated content removals in H1 2025, but volunteer moderators still face a growing, time-consuming burden.
Context and Relevance
This article is relevant to anyone interested in online communities, platform governance, or the societal effects of generative AI. It shows how cheaply produced AI content shifts user behaviour, corrodes trust, and creates new moderation and policy challenges. The piece also connects to ongoing legal and industry debates about training data, platform responsibility and how to support volunteer moderators at scale.
Author style
Punchy: WIRED cuts straight to how this trend is changing Reddit’s culture. The reporting is sharp and timely — if you work with communities, study platform policy, or rely on authentic user content, the finer details are worth reading.
Why should I read this?
Short version: Reddit used to feel real, and now it often doesn’t. This article saves you time by mapping where AI is wrecking threads, who it hurts, and why moderators are exhausted. It’s handy if you want to understand the practical fallout of generative AI on everyday internet discussion.
Source
Source: https://www.wired.com/story/ai-slop-is-ruining-reddit-for-everyone/