The impact of artificial intelligence on social media (so far)
- David Santos
- 7 hours ago
- 7 min read
From the algorithms that decide what we see to profiles capable of interacting like people, the impact of artificial intelligence on social media is changing the very nature of the networks.
As much as I would like to stop talking about artificial intelligence on our podcast, Cierre de Semana, or in blog articles, it is almost impossible for me not to do so because the reality is that day after day a new update or implementation arises that this technology begins to offer.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed by all the changes, news, and trends that may be occurring. So I would like to talk to you, in general and digestible terms, about how AI has changed the very nature of social networks and how this ends up affecting us (for better and for worse) as users, marketers, companies, businesses, and more.
Table of Contents
AI changed the way we discover content
A few years ago, the daily bread of social media was finding out what our friends and family were doing in their lives:
So-and-so uploaded a photo of the last time we met.
John Doe posted on LinkedIn about an achievement he reached at work.
Whatshername published a carousel of her vacation in Rome.
While we still have some of that, now "fyp" (For You Page) proliferate.
Curiously, the best example of this functionality is TikTok, but in its Newsroom (the page where they publish platform news and official updates), they don't mention how their "fyp" algorithm is powered by "AI" or "artificial intelligence models"; rather, they refer to "our systems." The reality is that it is no secret that TikTok uses AI in its algorithms, but perhaps they are not so vocal about it. However, Meta is much more open about how they suggest content to users.
Without going into technicalities (which sometimes even I don't understand), on the portal Engineering at Meta, it is explained how platforms like Instagram use artificial intelligence models to analyze our behavior and predict which posts are most likely to interest us, even if we have never interacted with the person who posted them or if said content has not gone viral. In other words, their goal is not to find the best content on Instagram, but the best content for each individual user. And, as I said, it's not something only Meta or TikTok do; platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn have implemented similar functionalities, obviously "powered by AI."
Social networks stopped being platforms where we followed people to become platforms where we follow recommendations.
AI changed the way content is created
This topic is possibly one of the most controversial surrounding the use of artificial intelligence due to the regrettable rise of "AI Slop"
AI Slop: Trash digital content generated massively by artificial intelligence without control.
Here we are not just talking about asking ChatGPT to generate an image in the style of Studio Ghibli, or asking Veo 3.1 for a video of a dancing kitten. Social networks themselves have developed their own generative AI content creation tools.
TikTok, for example, presented a product in 2025 called "TikTok Symphony." The main features of this suite of tools include:
Image to Video (I2V): converts a static image into a video with native TikTok format and style.
Text to Video (T2V): generates a video from descriptive text prompts.
Showcase Products: uses digital avatars to present products in videos designed for TikTok.
But, beyond the features that TikTok Symphony provides (and believe me, many other platforms offer exactly the same), the most valuable takeaway from this social network article is that the suite actually seeks to:
Simplify creative production
Accelerate idea development
Facilitate the creation of specific content for TikTok
Allow brands and creators to scale their production without losing creative focus
Andy Yang, TikTok's Global Head of Creative and Brand Products, says that:
"We are empowering a global community of marketing professionals, brands, and creators [...] By combining cutting-edge technology with human creativity, we are creating a new creative standard, more accessible, more agile, and more inspiring than ever before."
If you have listened to any episode of our podcast, you will know what my stance is regarding the use of AI for content generation: NO TO AI SLOP! I am not in favor of those who intend to substitute a trained person for a technology that is far from having that human quality.
That said, I am the first to recognize that technological advances have reached a point where AI, well used, can become a tool, and even a process, for a graphic designer, a content marketer, a video producer, etc. In other words, AI is not replacing creativity (or it shouldn't be), but transforming the way it comes to life. The challenge is no longer deciding whether to use AI or not, but learning to integrate it in a way that enhances creative work, rather than substituting it.
AI began to change who we interact with
It seems that in each of the sub-themes I need to put a warning that this topic is controversial; and that is because here we will talk about a series of trends and decisions that only feed the Dead Internet Theory, a belief that asserts that the internet is almost empty of humans and is dominated by traffic and interactions generated by bots and artificial intelligence.
Let's take Meta again as an example and its CEO and founder: Mark Zuckerberg. In April 2025, Zuckerberg was invited to the podcast of writer and reporter Dwarkesh Patel, where Patel asked Zuckerberg about the role of AI in social interactions, to which he replied:
"The reality is that people don't have as many connections as they would like. Much of the time they feel lonelier than they would want. [...] You will be able to have a permanent video call with an artificial intelligence."
In the same interview, Zuckerberg mentioned that it is still very early to know what will really happen and that it will be society that determines the role of AI (or the products that use it) in their lives. However, despite that uncertainty he spoke of, Meta has tried to push a series of actions that do not reflect the CEO's alleged concern.
At the end of 2024, (take a breath) Meta's vice president of product for generative AI, Connor Hayes, told the Financial Times about the company's vision that AI profiles would exist in Meta "just like any other account", with a bio, profile picture, and the ability to generate, share, and interact with content. The reaction from the public was immediate: a resounding rejection of the idea. The backlash was so great that in January 2025 Meta began to delete the experimental profiles it had created.
However, similar projects at Meta and other platforms have continued to move forward and have led us to a point where these artificial intelligence profiles and avatars are forming part of our social interactions and daily activities. Did you hear that an "artist" (yes, in quotes), whose appearance and music were generated with artificial intelligence, signed a $3M deal with the label Hallwood Media? Her name: Xania Monet.
Whether these experiments end up working or failing, the trend is clear: social networks no longer just use artificial intelligence for content recommendations or generation. It is being sought for AI to actively participate in our interactions. The question stops being whether there is a real person behind a profile, a comment, or a message, and starts being whether it really matters that it isn't. That is, in my opinion, the most critical and profound transformation that artificial intelligence is bringing to social networks.
What we still don't know: The true impact of artificial intelligence on social media
A few years ago it was simple to distinguish between a real photo or video and one generated by AI. It was also simple to assume that there was a real person behind a profile, or at most it was a fake account from a bot farm. Today, those certainties are disappearing.
Artificial intelligence is already part of practically all layers of social networks. It is present when an algorithm decides what content to show you, when a brand uses tools to produce videos in minutes, and when a platform experiments with profiles capable of interacting as if they were a person. What remains to be defined is how far that integration will go and how it will change (if it does) our relationship with these digital spaces.
The focal point of the conversation, in my opinion, should center on the question: What role do we want AI to play? Do we want it to be a tool that enhances creativity and facilitates repetitive tasks, or are we willing to have it also participate in our conversations, relationships, and even in the construction of our communities?
As users, content creators, and businesses, our challenge centers on learning to use this technology with judgment, transparency, and critical sense. At the end of the day, the true value of a social network is not its algorithms or tools, but the people who use them.
Sources
FAQ
How does artificial intelligence change the way we consume content on social media?
AI-driven algorithms analyze user behavior to recommend hyper-personalized content instead of just showing posts from friends or followed accounts.
What is "AI Slop" and how does it affect social media?
"AI Slop" is low-quality content generated massively by AI without creative control or value contribution, which saturates platforms and reduces the quality of the digital experience.
Can artificial intelligence replace creative work in marketing?
It should not replace it. AI works best as a tool that optimizes processes and enhances human creativity, rather than replacing trained professionals.
Are there profiles and influencers created 100% with AI on social media?
Yes, platforms and companies have developed avatars and virtual profiles capable of posting, generating music, and interacting with users autonomously.
About the author
David Santos
Digital Marketing Specialist at Werko Marketing Solutions. He has over 10 years of experience in digital marketing. His primary focus is data monitoring and analysis for the management and optimization of digital advertising campaigns, websites, and e-commerce stores.
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