Are generic posters and flyers that are obviously AI-generated off-putting?

[Kosmik]

The main problem is prompting. Most people define only very small and specific parameters for the ai to use. Better prompting = better results.

Exactly, you can actually get some decent customized work if you keep refining or changing your image from a one-shot prompt. Most of the generics are very much one **** minimal effort.

I don't think it will go away, especially for small business but to standout, more customisation and effort needs to be put in, otherwise you've just gone from the non visual advertising masses to the generic visual advertising mass.

 

[EmmanuelGoldstein]

Exactly, you can actually get some decent customized work if you keep refining or changing your image from a one-shot prompt. Most of the generics are very much one **** minimal effort.

I don't think it will go away, especially for small business but to standout, more customisation and effort needs to be put in, otherwise you've just gone from the non visual advertising masses to the generic visual advertising mass.

The current packaging of Kelloggs Corn Flakes must have been such little effort... It's pure AI slop, even worse than the worst AI slop.

 

[RedViking]

Don't see why you should avoid the establishment if their service and food is good and hopefully they already have a good history of service. It just their adverts and menus that make you want to puke , not the food. Also will probably miss important events.
New establishments probably won't get my attention and will have to discover them by other means as I don't read or look at the AI crap.

But cancel culture is not necessary. 25 old farts so far.

 

[RedViking]

Same thing with Youtube thumbnails these days - so many channels' are starting look the same. Love it when you get channels where it's clearly not AI and doesn't even matter when it's sloppy.

 

[wbot]

Not a big deal

 

[Spizz]

Amazing how quick these posters went from ‘wow that’s amazing’ to ‘wow that is dogschit’.

 

[NarrowBandFtw]

Amazing how quick these posters went from ‘wow that’s amazing’ to ‘wow that is dogschit’.

the problem is as soon as literally anyone can produce a flyer, or code, with minimal effort the standard drops to whatever kak the lowest common denominator thought was a good idea

I've taken to mashing the "seems like AI slop" button on LinkedIn, my feed is littered with the filth and every poorly disguised humblebrag is now AI-supercharged, f-off, have a LinkedIn report button!

 

[Lupus]

Just for HAL

 

[warrenpridgeon]

For me personally there are "levels".

If you're doing a kerk bazaar or a community event and don't have the budget then make an AI poster.. but please... learn a little so that it doesn't look like every second one with the "paint swatch" vibes.

If you're a small company and can't afford to retain a graphic person for doing social posts.... use AI, but again, put some effort in to try make it "less like everyone else's". For logos and stuff, use AI for brainstorming and then take the idea to a graphic designer and get it redrawn properly so you can use it for business cards and larger formats etc... and they will be able to tell you where it's "too much" etc.

If you're a large corpo don't flipping cut jobs "because AI can replace people". I have seen a number of large corps like momentum putting out AI gen video adverts... Like if you are THAT size you can afford people doing the work. I've seen hotels put out videos where they do a walk through or whatever and then an AI voice talking over it... nee kak.

For automations etc, AI helps. For mundane tasks... gooi mielies. For replacing people. No. For writing books, use it as a tool, don't get AI to generate the output. Basically anything creative it can be a part of the process but no the thing creating the output.

 

[Lupus]

For me personally there are "levels".

If you're doing a kerk bazaar or a community event and don't have the budget then make an AI poster.. but please... learn a little so that it doesn't look like every second one with the "paint swatch" vibes.

If you're a small company and can't afford to retain a graphic person for doing social posts.... use AI, but again, put some effort in to try make it "less like everyone else's". For logos and stuff, use AI for brainstorming and then take the idea to a graphic designer and get it redrawn properly so you can use it for business cards and larger formats etc... and they will be able to tell you where it's "too much" etc.

If you're a large corpo don't flipping cut jobs "because AI can replace people". I have seen a number of large corps like momentum putting out AI gen video adverts... Like if you are THAT size you can afford people doing the work. I've seen hotels put out videos where they do a walk through or whatever and then an AI voice talking over it... nee kak.

For automations etc, AI helps. For mundane tasks... gooi mielies. For replacing people. No. For writing books, use it as a tool, don't get AI to generate the output. Basically anything creative it can be a part of the process but no the thing creating the output.

I know just look at this gorgeous work, no paint swatches anywhere...

 

[konfab]

I hate AI slop. I hate AI on social media. Fake AI nonsense has killed off Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

But having said that, people are already struggling in this economy, I'll cut them some slack when it comes to marketing and advertising their business, as long as it looks legible.

 

[warrenpridgeon]

I know just look at this gorgeous work, no paint swatches anywhere...
View attachment 1949377

That's pretty darn decent IMO.

 

[Lupus]

That's pretty darn decent IMO.

See AI can work with proper prompts, besides the Seea part

 

[warrenpridgeon]

See AI can work with proper prompts, besides the Seea part

100% That's why part of my "AI thoughts" are "learn about the thing you are wanting to use AI with".

Like bootlegger coffee CEO should have understood some fundamentals before embarking on the journey that led to leaking so much stuff.

 

[ShaunSA]

Did the AI posters touch the MyBB Fuddy Duddies on their studios?

Ai shamepies ne

 

[Pegging]

Yes - AI slop in marketing has replaced humans with a few Claude AI prompts - there's NO actual cognitive skill, creative talent & years of effort / training required...

AI Overview

AI slop marketing posters refer to low-effort, mass-produced promotional images and flyers generated by artificial intelligence. They are defined by an over-reliance on automated prompts rather than human design strategy. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Common Traits of AI Slop Posters

• • Visual Smear and Smoothness: Over-saturated colors, waxy or overly airbrushed textures, and nonsensical background artifacts.
  • Text Rendering Issues: Garbled, misspelled, or blocky pseudo-text that fails to communicate basic event or product details.
  • Homogenization: A repetitive "sea of sameness" look that strips away local personality, quirkiness, and brand distinction.
  • Lack of Hierarchy: Overcrowded layouts where essential information (dates, times, locations) gets lost behind decorative AI clutter. [1, 2, 3]

Why Businesses Use Them

• • Speed and Cost: Small businesses, local event organizers, and solo operators use tools like Canva, Adobe Express, or general LLMs to bypass the expense of human graphic designers.
  • Accessibility: Anyone can type a quick prompt and spit out a finished image in seconds without design training. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Why Audiences and Designers Push Back

• • Cognitive Fatigue: Research by Nielsen IQ found that overtly AI-generated ads require extra mental effort to process, causing viewers to feel annoyed, bored, or confused.
  • Loss of Trust: Consumers increasingly associate AI-generated graphics with a lack of authenticity, empathy, or brand prestige.
  • Backlash: Fans and local communities frequently mock or call out businesses that rely on cheap AI flyers for public events.

View attachment 1949073 View attachment 1949074

View attachment 1949076 View attachment 1949077

P.S.: these posters were apparently all created by AI...

/s

AI is turning the world into slop

We are hurtling ever closer to a flattened future in which everything converges towards the average, the mediocre, the visual mean.

spectator.com

I’m pretty sure you are AI

 

[warrenpridgeon]

Did the AI posters touch the MyBB Fuddy Duddies on their studios?

Ai shamepies ne

You'd be surprised how many people are severely turned off by AI anything.

I wrote a post for social media describing my thoughts as a runaway train and blogging was helping me at least get the track built JUST in front of the runaway train... I used gemini to generate a silly pic to illustrate... and the only input I got on the long ass post I wrote out was "stop with the AI slop"... like FOR REAL?! You really want me to spend 5x the amount of time it took me to gather my thoughts into a cohesive long form social post to build an image manually? Or what? should I PAY someone for a graphic for a small social media post?!

People are very much "baby out with the bathwater" when it comes to AI.

I actually have warned a couple of clients that they should at least remove the em dashes from comms/content they have had AI help them with BECAUSE people are so anti AI. Many of the spell checks add in em dashes even. I don't want someone losing business just cos Oom Koos met n skewe loopstok in sy gat doesn't like the robots.

 

[RedViking]

 

[ShaunSA]

You'd be surprised how many people are severely turned off by AI anything.

I wrote a post for social media describing my thoughts as a runaway train and blogging was helping me at least get the track built JUST in front of the runaway train... I used gemini to generate a silly pic to illustrate... and the only input I got on the long ass post I wrote out was "stop with the AI slop"... like FOR REAL?! You really want me to spend 5x the amount of time it took me to gather my thoughts into a cohesive long form social post to build an image manually? Or what? should I PAY someone for a graphic for a small social media post?!

People are very much "baby out with the bathwater" when it comes to AI.

I actually have warned a couple of clients that they should at least remove the em dashes from comms/content they have had AI help them with BECAUSE people are so anti AI. Many of the spell checks add in em dashes even. I don't want someone losing business just cos Oom Koos met n skewe loopstok in sy gat doesn't like the robots.

Oom Koos doesn't give a fork. It's all the ones who are going to be out of work who are throwing their toys out of the cot making like the world is ending

The reality is that AI is here to stay and trying to stop it is a fruitless exercise

 

[warrenpridgeon]

Oom Koos doesn't give a fork. It's all the ones who are going to be out of work who are throwing their toys out of the cot making like the world is ending

The reality is that AI is here to stay and trying to stop it is a fruitless exercise

Look I agree... but I do work with charities and stuff and I would rather tell them "use the thing, but do this and that to avoid annoying ou ballie piet and losing out on donations".

Like many of us have accepted AI and have changed certain things about how we run things. But we have to also understand the impact of pretending that nobody cares. Especially if running a business to put food on the table.