TikTok is becoming swamped with AI-generated conspiracy theory content thanks to a new financial incentive program for creators

Short-form video content creators have an interesting challenge to overcome: In a never-ending feed of videos, how do you grab someone's attention long enough to keep them watching yours? Increasingly, the answer appears to be to simply make something up, and the more salacious, conspiratorial, or outrageous, the better. Add in some AI-generated imagery, subtitles, and an AI voice-over, and thanks to some creator incentive programs, big bucks may follow.

Media Matters has released a YouTube video featuring its senior video producer Abbie Richards performing a deep-dive on exactly why conspiracy theory videos are popping up all over platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts, and just how easy they are to create thanks to, you guessed it, the power of AI. 

Endeavouring to create its very own short-form conspiracy content, based on the idea that a scientist eating Play-Doh in a lab recorded themselves growing in height, losing 60 lbs in weight, and curing cancer, the channel made use of several AI tools and followed the instructions of a YouTube «entrepreneur guru» to create a ludicrously over-the-top subtitled conspiracy video that looks all too familiar.

In the case of TikTok, blame for this glut of dubious and misinformed content is placed squarely at the feet of its recently launched «Creativity Program Beta», which pays creators for their content based on how many views their videos receive. 

However, monetisation is only activated on videos over 60 seconds long, with users viewing the video for over five seconds. This financially incentivises creators to make videos with a powerful hook to draw viewers in (in this case, a completely outrageous claim or proposition) and then pad out the content as much as possible to keep them watching.

Thanks to the proliferation of AI image generation tools and AI voice effects, a simple conspiracy script of entirely made-up information and some flashy editing of the results is all that's required to make a video with the