How Social Media Became Overrun With AI Slop

There was a a point in time when Twitter used to be good for breaking news. Social media outlets like Instagram and Facebook were great for keeping up with friends. There used to be websites that people would refresh throughout the day, reading news or gossip from sources they knew and trusted. Now, most of that has gone -- or at least changed dramatically. A combination of profit imperatives, political motivations, and AI have upended much of that old internet. So what happened? Why has the web become a home of slop and sludge? We speak to Max Read, the author of the Read Max newsletter, to understand today's internet, and where things are going next. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.