Users need provider-level protocols for signing AI-generated content at creation using PKI/GPG to ensure integrity and verifiable provenance. This would allow for SHA-256 hashes of original content, making it possible to detect deepfakes or verify authenticity. Automation should make integrity the default.
I’m going to say this out loud now, so in a few months or a few years I can honestly say: I’ve been saying this for a long time. I believe AI will be the death of social media, especially short-form content and possibly long-form as well. Let’s be real. Most people do not want to watch or read AI-generated content, yet more and more creators are using AI to mass-produce it. After talking to my kids and my employees and reflecting on my own habits, it’s clear we all feel the same way. We hate it. Some of them have already cut back their use of platforms like TikTok and Instagram specifically. The biggest problem isn’t just the quality. It’s trust. People can no longer tell what’s real and what’s not. That confusion isn’t just annoying, it’s dangerous. The ability to fake public figures, events, and statements creates a real risk to individuals and society. And once people realize that something they believed or emotionally reacted to was completely fake, they don’t just start questioning the platform itself. When that trust breaks, users leave. Ironically, this hurts creators like me the most. I make real content. I teach real people. Fewer users on platforms like YouTube and TikTok means fewer views, fewer students, and fewer people learning. AI isn’t just flooding feeds, it’s diluting attention and credibility. The solution isn’t banning AI outright. That ship has sailed. The solution is choice and transparency. Platforms should allow users to opt out of AI generated content entirely, so their feeds only show human-created material. Content creators should be required to clearly label whether AI was used and if a creator is caught lying about it, ban the account. No warnings. No second chances. Trust is everything. If platforms don’t take this seriously, people won’t slowly drift away they’ll disconnect all at once. And when that happens, social media won’t die because of competition. It’ll die because it stopped feeling real. What do you think, am I over reacting or crazy or do you experience the same thing?