It’s not hard to find videos that meet Wikipedia’s definition of AI slop: “digital content made with generative artificial intelligence that is perceived as lacking in effort, quality, or meaning, and produced in high volume as clickbait to gain advantage in the attention economy”.
It’s also not hard to find AI-generated videos which don’t technically qualify as slop - they weren’t produced in high volume as clickbait and clearly took some effort - but which will still be branded as such in comments due to a perceived lack of quality.
Finding videos which make substantive use of generative AI and which clear the bar on effort, quality and meaning is harder.
I wrote about a few last August and highlighted Hashem Al-Ghaili’s animations a couple of months ago.
Below are three videos I’ve come across recently which all make substantive use of generative AI but which have been generally well received, with seemingly only those constitutionally opposed to any use of generative AI in content creation crying ‘slop!’ in the comments.
So, why do they work?
1. The Watch
Created by J. Felipe Orozco, an in-house creative at AI video company Runway, The Watch is a 37-second spec ad for a fictitious watch brand.
Why Does It Work?
Economical storytelling. The ad has just one word of dialogue (“sorry”), with everything else conveyed through the actions and facial expressions of the AI-generated protagonists.
Emotional resonance. The desire to be younger or older at different moments in one’s life is universally relatable.
Smart stylistic choices. It’s in black and white, which is in keeping with the nostalgic vibe of the ad, but which also helps take the edge off the uncanny valley risks associated with using AI to emulate live action footage. The soundtrack, which also appears to be AI-generated, sounds like a French classic which perfectly fits the mood of the ad (many of the YouTube comments are asking for the full track, which someone has subsequently generated).
2. 27 Days
Created by Dale Williams, a director at AI-first entertainment studio Promise, 27 Days is a short (2m35s) film created using Seedance 2.0. Dale (aka The Reel Robot), is described on the Promise website as having “a background in film studies and music composition”.
Why does it work?
A distinctive visual aesthetic, which doesn’t feel obviously derivative or synthetic (although by definition it’s both of those things) and which is more forgiving than live action when it comes to lip syncing and adherence to real-world physics.
Slow pacing. The first 30-seconds is dialogue free, forcing the viewer to slow down and absorb the visuals and the music, before the narrative direction becomes apparent.
Emotional resonance. Whilst verging on mawkish, I’d challenge even the most hard-hearted Brit to not be a little bit moved by the relationships-are-the-things-that-matter-most sentiment.
3. Backyard Legends
Backyard Legends is a 5-minute real-world ad to promote adidas in the run up to the Football World Cup. It’s mostly not AI-generated. It starts with high-production-value blended shot footage of Timothée Chalamet and current stars, before - 2 minutes in - introducing AI-generated versions of Beckham, Zidane and Del Piero. The likenesses aren’t perfect (an AI-model was trained on historical footage) but I suspect most viewers are willing to roll with that in the context of an ad with so much human craft on display. The final scene bookends the ad with live action cameos from Bad Bunny and Messi, which also helps offset any AI-generated ickiness.
Why does it work?
It’s a tall tale. The narrative is positioned as folklore so 100% verisimilitude isn’t required.
Judicious application. It’s a modest use of AI in a video with a huge amount of human craft on display - a few AI-enhanced shots in a 5-minute, no expense spared, they-don’t-make-them-like-that-any-more ad.
Why AI has been used is apparent. The current age of the historical players makes it obvious that some post-production wizardry has been employed, which the director underscores by depicting Beckham with three different haircuts. It delivers something core to the narrative that wouldn’t have been possible without VFX of some description (or - Lord help us - present-day Beckham in prosthetics) and AI’s done a decent enough job.
Takeouts
Whilst very different in style and execution, all three videos share a number of key attributes that separate them from the slop:
A clear understanding of the grammar of video storytelling
A coherent and compelling narrative with emotional resonance
A distinctive aesthetic which suits the narrative
Effective and restrained use of music and dialogue
A lack of visual spectacle or bombast
They also all feel like human stories brought to life with the assistance of AI rather than showboating videos contrived to show off the capabilities of an AI model and/or to gain advantage in the attention economy (see most AI-generated videos shared online).
Keen to see more examples of non-sloppy AI videos. Drop a link in the comments if you’ve come across any recently.
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