AI slop targeting Ocala, other Florida cities with fake news reports - Ocala-News.com

An artificial intelligence-backed media account is fabricating fake news about non-existent residents in Ocala and across Florida. The website has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on social media through sensationalized and dramatically embellished fake stories.

What happened

The page specifically targets Florida with insulting, “AI-generated slop” that portrays Floridians in a derogatory light, often leading readers to believe the outlandish reports are legitimate news. The reports use AI-generated images that include doctored backgrounds that falsely cite legitimate news sources. One fake report claimed a woman was detained at a local Publix after attempting to pay with a live squirrel. Another alleged that a woman was detained after an attempt to return a used coffin to Costco in Ocala, despite there not being a Costco location in the city. The page attempts to mask its misinformation with a discrete tagline describing its content as a daily dose of “totally made-up” entertainment, while an additional tagline claims the stories are “just wild enough to almost be real.” Each AI-generated story regularly includes hundreds of words of fabricated text, a fake photo, and strategically placed hash tags, such as “#ForEntertainmentOnly.” The impact of the “AI slop” on readers is evident, with most appearing to be victims of the “Florida Man” trope and immediately accepting stories as a reflection of reality.