A few weeks ago, President Trump posted a video on his Truth Social page depicting Barack and Michelle Obama, the former President and First Lady, as apes. The video similarly mocked several other Democratic Party candidates, turning them into animals with the help of artificial intelligence. President Trump has faced significant scrutiny for the video’s depiction of the Obamas, with one Clinton student who has wished to remain anonymous describing it as “pretty racist.” President Trump has deleted the video, but has refused to apologize for posting it, even going as far as to say he “didn’t make a mistake.” One might ask what role AI slop plays in our day to day lives these days, given President Trump’s repeated use of it.
A few months ago, President Trump posted an infamous video of him in an F-18 unloading a payload of excrement upon protesters. Such AI slop – which can come in many different forms – is becoming increasingly harder to spot. As observed over the course of his campaign, President Trump’s indulgence in generative AI often produces media with similar elements. Specifically, President Trump’s AI posts often include petty attacks against those who disagree with him, along with references to famous films. For example, a recent video of his made an obvious reference to The Lion King, with the President portraying himself as a lion whilst also calling himself the “king of the jungle.” This reference became the basis of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s defense of the video as a parody of a classic film. Similarly, the video of him in an F-18 – the one scrutinizing protestors – is a clear reference to Top Gun: Maverick, with the use of the F-18, and the song “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins. Clearly, the President’s use of it is constant.
Today, a significant amount of internet traffic is slop content, and many Clinton students might regularly see such content on different social media platforms. One might just see these videos as stupid and soulless. This is definitely the case at face value. However, this slop has been responsible for the rampant spread of misinformation, and in the case of Trump’s meme videos, propaganda. In the past, members of the U.S Senate have even reposted AI generated images to spread their cause, unaware of their true origin.
AI generated content has also been endorsed by major organizations, such as Turning Point USA’s use of the phrase “WE ARE CHARLIE KIRK,” a direct reference to the eponymous AI generated song. Many have fallen for this type of content, such as AI generated videos of the Hollywood Sign on fire apparently leading some to hike up to ensure the sign was still intact.
Unfortunately, this type of content is not going away anytime soon. Not too long ago, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta announced the new Emu software that would be implemented on Facebook, so as to allow for further creation and spread of AI generated content. This comes after a previous decision to remove fact-checkers from the platform. By the looks of things, these new Facebook updates are nothing but a greater breeding-ground for AI-fueled misinformation. This misinformation — even encouraged by companies like Facebook — is undoubtedly damaging to society as a whole and makes access to reliable information far more difficult.
However, this soulless slop only has any kind of effect if it is taken seriously and to the heart. For example, the aforementioned hikers only believed the slop content they saw to be true because it depicts potential real-world harm and tragedy. The video of former President Obama posted by President Trump has not been met with much appreciation or interest beyond the question of why on Earth would the sitting POTUS post such a vile thing. The simple answer to this question is the fact that President Trump has always used cheap insults to downplay the influence of his political opponents and insult certain groups of people. The only new thing about the recent video featuring former President Obama when compared with his previous attacks is his increasing use of AI. Prior to the widespread use of it, President Trump would use human-made insults instead, merely because he did not have access to AI during his first term. He might be depicting the Obamas as apes now, but when he first rose to prominence as a major figure in the American political landscape, he was still calling Africa a s***hole. Thus, this video is nothing other than an example of the President adapting with the times. It’s still the same cheap and lousy insults, only now they’re presented in a new way.
