The Download: advertising on junk AI websites, and forest bathing in VR
The news: AI chatbots are filling junk websites with AI-generated text that attracts paying advertisers. More than 140 major brands are paying for ads that end up on unreliable AI-written sites, likely without their knowledge, according to a new report.
Making money from junk: Most companies that advertise online automatically bid on spots to run those ads through a practice called “programmatic advertising.” As a result, big brands end up paying for ad placements on sites that they may have never heard of before, with little to no human oversight. To take advantage, content farms have sprung up where low-paid humans use AI to churn out low-quality content to attract maximum ad revenue.
Why it matters: Ninety percent of the ads from major brands found on these AI-generated news sites were served by Google, though the company’s own policies prohibit sites from placing Google-served ads on pages that include “spammy automatically generated content.” The practice threatens to hasten the arrival of a glitchy, spammy internet that is overrun by AI-generated content, as well as wasting massive amounts of ad money. Read the full story.
—Tate Ryan-Mosley
To learn more about this trend, check out our senior AI reporter Melissa Heikkilä’s piece on why we’re hurtling toward a glitchy, spammy, scammy, AI-powered internet.
“Forest bathing” might work in virtual reality too
The Japanese concept of “forest bathing” has long been acclaimed for its supposed health benefits. Hundreds of scientific studies suggest that it can improve mental health and cognitive performance, reduce blood pressure, and even treat depression and anxiety.
