TikTok Accounts Are Using AI Slop to Sell Seeds to Plants That Don't Exist

"There are thousands of varieties of hosta - a leafy decorative plant that you've probably seen adorning outdoor spaces - being cultivated around the world, in a luxurious spread of colors, sizes, and textures. The hardy and easy-to-care-for plants thrive in the shade and can grow enormous leaves, making them a perfect project for amateur gardeners. Yet despite the glorious natural biodiversity that already exists in the species, scammers on TikTok are using AI-generated slop videos to sell dubious seeds for hosta varieties that don't exist."

"The obvious hallmarks of half-baked AI are impossible to ignore, from water streams from garden hoses that flow straight through the foliage or miss the plant entirely to seeds that magically float by themselves while held in a hand. Many of the videos even claim their miraculous hostas can thrive even in snowy conditions, which is a nonsense prospect: hostas may be perennial, but aren't very frost-tolerant and sustain damage from freezing temperatures."

There are thousands of hosta varieties cultivated worldwide with diverse colors, sizes, and textures. Hostas are hardy, shade-loving, low-maintenance plants that can produce very large leaves and suit amateur gardeners. Scammers on TikTok are using AI-generated videos to advertise and sell seeds for fabricated hosta varieties with unnatural colors and impossible traits. The videos feature robotic-sounding voiceovers, floating seeds, and visual glitches like water passing through foliage. Many claims are biologically implausible, including plants that tolerate snowy conditions despite hostas being frost-sensitive. The trend floods social feeds with low-quality AI content that deceives viewers and promotes dubious products.

Read at Futurism