Saturday Night Live aired brief segments containing images that many viewers believe are AI-generated, prompting online backlash. One image set depicted an illustrated Christmas storybook with hazy, yellowish hues and disconnected streets. Another showed a woman using an oxygen tank with unattached tubes while playing a slot machine in an empty casino. Viewers described the images as "gross" and shameful on Reddit and other platforms. The controversy occurred amid broader concerns about AI-generated media, with brands like McDonald's Netherlands and Coca-Cola facing criticism for AI ads. NBC has not confirmed the origin of the images.
"Across the internet, eagle-eyed sleuths are crying " AI slop" after Saturday Night Live aired segments with what looks like AI-generated imagery. The first instance, from Saturday's cold open, shows an illustrated Christmas storybook. The images feature a hazy, yellow-ish hue and an image of streets that don't connect. The next, in "Weekend Update" showed an image of a woman playing a slot machine in an otherwise empty casino while using an oxygen tank with tubes that weren't connected."
"AI fatigue is real, and the accusations against Saturday's episode landed amid a wider conversation about AI-generated media. McDonalds Netherlands pulled an AI-generated ad from its YouTube page last week following widespread negative comments. Meanwhile, the studio behind Coca-Cola's widely criticized new AI-generated holiday ad admitted it wasn't 100% ready. Merriam-Webster on Sunday named "slop" its 2025 word of the year."
"Merriam-Webster on Sunday named "slop" its 2025 word of the year. Slop in an ad is one thing. But slop on a show like SNL strikes a nerve considering how well known the long-running show is for its intricate human-made sets and costuming. This is a show made by hand, and the janky Photoshop jobs during Weekend Update are part of the joke."
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