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PC Gamer
PC Gamer
Andy Edser

'It’s a whole new kind of blerp': YouTube's AI-enhanced reply suggestions seem to be working as well as you might expect

Symbolic photo: Logo of the video platform YouTube on June 07, 2023 in Berlin, Germany.

Have you heard of the dead internet theory? It's essentially the idea that the internet is primarily populated with bots and AI-generated responses, intentionally designed with the overall goal of minimising human interaction and promoting products. The theory posits that humans on the internet are relatively rare, but bots responding in a manner just like them are everywhere. Including YouTube.

An interesting concept, no doubt. However, there's one fly in the ointment: Even huge titans like Google struggle to produce AI-generated responses that make any sense. 404 media has been speaking to Clint Basinger, a YouTuber who's been testing out "editable AI-enhanced reply suggestions" on the platform—and according to Basinger, the results so far have been variable at best.

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