Tech founders and execs roast Meta's new push for AI-generated reels (www.businessinsider.com)

Meta on Thursday introduced Vibes, a new feature in the Meta AI app that generates AI-created media (short reels and other creative outputs) which users can experiment with and cross-post to Facebook and Instagram. Mark Zuckerberg framed it as a preview of "new product directions" leveraging Meta AI's media tools; Alexandr Wang, Meta’s chief AI officer, announced the rollout. Technically it’s a straightforward extension of generative-media tooling into social posting, lowering the friction to create and amplify automated content across Meta’s ecosystem. The launch drew sharp public pushback from tech founders and execs on X, who derided the output as “AI slop” and warned the feature favors engagement and attention capture over meaningful AI progress. Critics—citing prior controversies around Meta chatbots and youth safety—argue this kind of product risks scaling low-quality, hyper-engaging content to vulnerable users and further commoditizing attention. The debate highlights broader implications for AI: platform incentives that prioritize short-term engagement, moderation and safety risks when generative tools are mass-deployed, and the ethical choice between using AI for “frivolous” content versus productivity or civic uses.