Snapchat will no longer recommend fully AI-generated videos on Spotlight, the platform’s discovery feed for original and trending content. The change adjusts Snapchat’s recommendation systems so that only videos made by real people are eligible for Spotlight placement.

Snapchat said the update is meant to preserve Spotlight as a venue for human creativity. “We want Spotlight to remain a place where people can discover authentic creativity from real people, because we believe there’s enduring value in rewarding original perspectives, personal storytelling, and the moments that people choose to create and share themselves,” the company wrote in a blog post announcing the change.

The policy does not extend to AI tools used in the editing process. Creators who use Snapchat’s own AI creative tools to enhance or edit their videos remain eligible for Spotlight recommendations. The company noted that AI “plays an important part of the creative process” for some creators and “can unlock incredible new forms of expression,” drawing a line between AI as an editing aid and AI as the sole author of a video.

The move follows an April update in which Snapchat said users would see less AI-generated content in Spotlight, and it lands amid a broader wave of platform policies targeting so-called AI slop. As noted by TechCrunch, LinkedIn recently added a button letting users flag posts as AI-generated, and Substack introduced a tool that identifies AI-written newsletters. Meta removed an Instagram feature that let users modify photos from public accounts using AI after facing backlash. YouTube clarified its monetization policies this month so that “inauthentic content,” including generic, repetitive, or template-based videos and AI personas discussing health or finance, cannot be monetized.

Snapchat’s approach draws a contrast with Meta, which has signaled a more permissive posture toward AI-generated content elsewhere in its business. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a post accompanying the company’s quarterly earnings report that its Muse image and video models could produce a “nearly infinite universe of personalized content,” calling it a development that “is going to make our services a lot more useful and engaging for people.”

The Spotlight update follows a separate content control measure Snapchat rolled out last month, restricting users aged 13 to 15 to sharing Spotlight posts only with people who follow them back, a change aimed at guarding against doxxing.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Check Out Our Podcast