We need to stop the AI slop before it’s too late

On today’s episode, co-hosts Yasmin Gagne and Josh Christensen discuss the latest news in business and innovation, including renewed trade tensions with China, Instagram’s new approach to protecting minors from harmful content, and Spotify’s new partnership with Netflix.   Next, AI video technology has come a long way since 2023’s famous fever dream of a video featuring Will Smith eating spaghetti. Tech giants OpenAI and Meta have recently released powerful AI video generators—Sora 2 and Vibes, respectively. Both generators make it possible for users to create hyperrealistic videos, with Sora 2 allowing content to be generated that features “real life” characters. But these videos now add to the heaps of AI-generated image slop that dominates social media feeds, raising concerns about our ability to discern what is fact and fiction. And in our post-truth media ecosystem, only “vibes” seem to matter. Yaz and Josh talk to Fast Company contributing writer Chris Stokel-Walker about the societal and ethical gray areas of this development.    Finally, workwear brand M.M. LaFleur makes versatile, office-appropriate, affordable clothing for professionals. The company had raised money from traditional VC firms prior to the pandemic, but following the pandemic and the start of DTC winter, the company struggled. Yaz speaks with Katie Tidwell, the company’s SVP of sales and operations, about how the company raised $3 million from its biggest fans and individual female investors and how it became profitable. For more of the latest business and innovation news, go to https://www.fastcompany.com/news