In this Serious Insights interview, I talk with Henry Young, the 18-year-old founder of Avari Research, about the real meaning of “AI slop,” what drives consumer backlash, and where brands are drawing the line between efficiency and laziness in their AI-generated content.
Top 3 Takeaways
- “AI slop” isn’t about the technology — it’s about perceived laziness. Consumers resent brands that use AI as a shortcut to skip the effort of earning their trust.
- Comments and unsubscribe rates are the earliest measurable signals of mainstream backlash, especially when brands run full AI campaigns rather than isolated experiments.
- For now, the safest influencer strategy is simply to avoid AI-generated final content entirely — and wait for another brand to figure out what actually works before following suit.
The Henry Young Interview
“AI slop” is a catchy bucket of ideas. How do you define it in measurable terms: volume, repetitiveness, error rate, engagement decay, brand sentiment, or something else?
“AI slop” is usually defined by quality. If a video looks unnatural or like it doesn’t fit within the brand’s image – that’s probably because it wasn’t made by the usual marketing team, but by AI instead.
What’s the earliest leading indicator that backlash is moving from niche annoyance to mainstream behavior in 2026: skips, comments, unsubscribe rates, share patterns, purchase intent?
Comments – not just what they say, but how many there are. Slop can generate enough hate to get comments from users who wouldn’t typically comment. Unsubscribe rates are also a reliable indicator of backlash, and these rates can get quite concerning for brands that launch entire AI campaigns as opposed to one-off pieces of content.
When people say they “hate AI ads,” what are they actually reacting to: obvious synthetic visuals/voices, generic copy, too much frequency, uncanny humans, or the feeling of being targeted by a machine?
When people say they “hate AI ads,” they are more than likely reacting to the perceived laziness of the brand pushing the ad. The point of marketing is to earn a consumer’s business, and most modern consumers do not feel that AI reflects the effort and care they deserve. AI is noticeably lower quality than human-made content in most cases, which is seen as cutting corners by potential customers.
Does Gen Z/Alpha care that content is AI-made, or do they care that it’s lazy, inauthentic, or deceptive, regardless of how it was produced (there was a lot of bad content before AI)?
It all depends on where the content is coming from. For meme pages on Instagram and TikTok, slop is acceptable because it can be funny and fits with the low-quality memes that have shaped the culture of those pages. For brands, it’s unacceptable because it never fits their image. If it fit with the culture of their customers, it would be okay despite being lazy, but it just doesn’t fit.
Where’s the line between “efficient” and “cheap” for marketing teams using AI? What specific use cases damage trust?
Efficient is reducing the cost as much as you can without compromising quality. Cheap is noticeably reducing the quality as a means of lowering your production cost – that’s AI slop.
If marketing teams back away from AI, what replaces it operationally: more human creators, smaller creator rosters with deeper partnerships, more UGC, tighter editorial standards, or something else? What does that mean for the AI market in general, as marketing is a primary, cross-industry use case?
Anything can replace AI – it all depends on the brand’s goals. AI’s place in the industry is just as an operational efficiency tool. It can help teams move faster behind the scenes, such as with brainstorming or research, but it should never produce a final piece of material that is published.
Which industries can “get away with” heavy AI use without penalty, and why?
Besides AI companies themselves, maybe brands like Duolingo, who have leaned into edgy marketing in the past. That being said, it is still very possible that even brands like that receive backlash for hopping on a negative trend.
Which industries are most vulnerable to anti-AI positioning, where “human-made” becomes a differentiator, and what proof points would make non-AI claims credible?
Creative industries like art can benefit from highlighting the human-like originality of their products. Additionally, industries like skincare, which are based on the human body (something that AI often struggles to replicate accurately), can benefit from emphasizing the realness of their models and products.
What does “trust” look like for younger generations in campaigns: disclosure labels, behind-the-scenes creation process, creator endorsements, live elements, community co-creation, or consistent brand behavior over time?
All of the above! Young consumers want to be involved in the brands they buy from. They want to represent a community and ideas that resonate with them and give them opportunities to be involved.
How should influencer strategy change in 2026 to avoid “AI slop” dynamics in areas like format, cadence, creative control, disclosure, and measurement?
Simply do not use AI – for now. Eventually, another brand will figure out an AI strategy that works, and you can copy them. Until then, it is smart to not put your brand image on the line.
About Henry Young, Founder & CEO, Avari Research
Henry Young is an 18-year-old influencer marketing strategist and founder of Avari, a research-driven consultancy helping brands connect with Gen Z and Alpha audiences through influencer-led virtual experiences. Starting his career at just 14 as a video editor for small YouTube creators, Henry quickly scaled his expertise, moving into viewer retention analytics, creator management, and later brand-side influencer strategy, managing campaigns valued at over $1 million and working with clients whose creators collectively reached over 10 million followers and 1 billion views.
After graduating high school, Henry chose to pursue full-time entrepreneurship rather than attending college, founding Avari to tackle some of the industry’s most pressing questions: How can influencer marketing dollars be spent most effectively? How can creators and brands build sustainable partnerships? How can campaigns meaningfully engage young consumers?
Avari’s initial focus is on virtual experiences, including branded activations on platforms such as Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft, and Zepeto. Leveraging both his personal insight as a member of the target audience and his hands-on experience across creators, brands, and agencies, Henry is building innovative frameworks for creator selection, campaign design, and data analysis.
Henry’s work has been recognized for combining deep industry knowledge with a generational perspective, providing brands with strategies that resonate with young audiences in ways most traditional marketers cannot.
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The cover image is AI-generated from the author’s prompt and source photos by Henry.
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