Individual who Previously Altered Buzzfeed with Artificial Intelligence Now Criticizes AI, Introduces New AI-Centric Platform
Jonah Peretti, the boss over at Buzzfeed, stirred up a fair bit of controversy a couple of years ago when he decided to slash the size of Buzzfeed's renowned newsroom and shift the platform's focus towards AI-generated content. Fast forward to present day, and Peretti's expressing concerns about the rapidly expanding realm of AI, hinting at potential negative impacts on our daily lives. His solution? Launch a brand new AI platform.
That's right, according to Peretti's lengthy missive on his personal website, he's feeling uneasy about the torrent of AI-generated junk swamping the web. Kicking off his article with a compassionate reflection on our turbulent tech times, Peretti expresses unease about AI snatching away our autonomy, devaluing our skills, and fomenting social discord. Only problem is—the proverbial shit is already hitting the fan. As he puts it:
"Most anxieties about the future are just about the present. We fear a future where AI steals our agency, devalues our labor, and stirs up societal discord. But here we are, swimming in this AI-infused waters, and our meaning, purpose, and agency have already been compromised by AI technologies."
Peretti then takes aim at something he calls SNARF—an acronym for "stakes, novelty, anger, retention, fear," which are the primal feelings content creators aim for when churning out attention-grabbing 14-second videos. Amusing, right? Considering that Buzzfeed was a pioneer in SNARF-like content, it's a bit ironic that Peretti's fretting about SNARF in the first place. As he points out, AI is making it all the easier for SNARF to dominate our lives:
"Deep learning AIs are made to maximize the time we spend on these apps. While you're reading this, your mind's probably wandering off to Instagram or TikTok. It turns out when an app company doesn't care about content and lets an AI maximize engagement, you get a service that incentivizes content that's addictive as hell."
So how does Peretti plan to combat SNARF? By launching a new social media platform, no less! According to Axios, the platform will enable users to create and share content inspired by their hobbies with the help of AI. Now, isn't that a curveball?
People are scratching their heads wondering why Peretti would pen a scathing critique of an AI-driven phenomenon and then announce his intention to profit from it. Well, after giving it a bit of thought, I have to concede that there's some logic in there. The only way to take on SNARF might just be to... become SNARF. It's a stroke of genius, honestly. It's nothing short of brilliant.
And the best part? Peretti's new SNARF-fighting venture has an epic name: BF Island. Gosh, how awesome is that? BF Island.
Perhaps Peretti's truly spooked by the AI junk that's polluting the web. Maybe he's realized that AI-generated content isn't exactly a cash cow, and he's eager to diversify his business. Maybe he's just exceptional at sensing the national pulse and regurgitating popular sentiments. Or maybe it's a little of each. Whatever the reason, one thing's for sure: if there's anyone who knows about SNARF, it's got to be Peretti. SNARF—the embodiment of thoughtless, emotionally manipulative online content—is his bread and butter.
Peretti expressed concerns about the rising AI-generated content, stating that it's already compromising our autonomy, devaluing our skills, and stirring up social discord. Despite this, he announced plans to launch a new AI platform to combat the issue. Buzzfeed, under Peretti's leadership, is set to introduce BF Island, a social media platform that allows users to create and share content with AI assistance. Despite his criticism of AI-driven SNARF content, Peretti seems to recognize its potential and aims to leverage it for his new venture.
