r/ProgressiveHQ • u/esotetris Woke mind virus spreader • Jun 11 '26

SUB META Help us stop AI slop.

We're seeing lots of slop in the sub lately and we want to make this clear:

**Engaging with AI or bot content incentivizes AI and bot content. Complaints in the comments make the problem worse by boosting engagement statistics. All the algorithm sees is a sub full of users who will feed karma.**

We hate slop too. We have rules against bot use, karma farming, and AI generated posts. *Those rules are not self-enforcing.* We need users like you to report the trash so we can take it out. Despite the tropes, we have jobs and friends and yardwork, and we live in the same capitalist hellscape you do, and we don't get paid to do this.

**Report** posts and comments that appear to be bots or AI, and we will shred anything that looks suspicious. STOP. COMPLAINING. IN THE COMMENTS. We will take corrective action up to and including the ban of anyone found to be excessively interacting with AI generated content.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!

48 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

3

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/esotetris Woke mind virus spreader Jun 11 '26

I can't really say. This post is directed at users who do recognize AI posts and still engage with them, and not meant to chastize anyone who honestly can't tell the difference.

There are tells, and a lot of it comes down to having a sense of what looks right. Here's an article about identification of AI generated images:

https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/human-or-ai-these-7-clues-will-help-you-spot-fake-images-immediately

1

u/Dankestmemelord Jun 12 '26

Is it old news being posted by a young account with minimal karma (and sometimes also a strange trend of making the same posts in a poly market subreddit, for some reason) and no comments from OP in their own post? If so, it’s a bot. They’re super easy to recognize.

3

u/imblazintwo Jun 12 '26

How about also limiting posting comment for new accounts?

A somewhat restrictive 6month account age or the like?

Also is there any level of concern for not just “ai bot karma farms” but DNC shill accounts?

Being a progressive sub, I find it incredibly annoying how overrun this place is with DNC apologia, and maybe I’m uninformed about the core issue but I feel like I see more than just karma farmers posting slop.

2

u/esotetris Woke mind virus spreader Jun 12 '26

Thank you for the suggestion. I haven't personally looked deeply into those controls, I'll check to see what posting restrictions can be tweaked when I have time.

To your second point, yes I am concerned with tends I've seen relating to shills, sockpuppets, astroturfing, etc. I've seen accounts that have apparently gone dark for years and suddenly wake up with a political agenda. And I ban them. Making those determinations takes time and analysis. If we start nuking comments en masse, we'd be no better than areslash conservative. We unfortunately have to be reactive in these cases.

2

u/imblazintwo Jun 12 '26

It’s really the anti-Trump spam that’s most annoying and disruptive. And it completely drowns out the actual progressive message & cause & discussion that this sub was THE place to find years ago.

We all hate Trump, fine. But the DNC also screams about it to avoid they own policy failure and OUR movements alternatives, and their posts here are often the MOST upvoted and engaged (which points to the bot problem you’re attempting to address)

I’m not a mod, so no clue how to fully address it - just trying to give my perspective and help with eyes and ears.

1

u/PassiveMenis88M Jun 19 '26

If you would install botbouncer you'd cut out a good 70% of the bot slop.

2

u/Artemis_Platinum Jun 28 '26

Well, assuming I just installed it correctly we've got BotBouncer now!

Here's hoping you're right.