Stop the slop: How to lead with authenticity when AI floods the feed

This week, TikTok announced that it’s giving users a new lever: a slider in their “Manage Topics” settings that lets them reduce or increase how much AI-generated content appears in their feed. It also revealed that more than 1.3 billion videos on TikTok have been labeled as AI-generated so far. 

That volume of AI content is leading many to identify these videos as AI slop: the mass-produced, low-quality, shallow kind of content that is built purely to fill space rather than build connection. 

This isn’t just happening on TikTok. The Guardian noted that “nearly one in ten of the fastest-growing YouTube channels globally only show AI-generated videos,” and many qualify as AI slop.

Tiktok is the first major platform, though, to give users control over how much AI content they see. They likely won’t be the last. Users are asking for human authenticity on their platforms, and transparency in what is created with AI and what is human. 

Here is what that means for marketers and customer service leaders leaning into AI for speed and scale. 

Authenticity alongside AI

At Klaviyo, this moment feels like validation. We’ve built our platform and our philosophy on the belief that AI should amplify your voice, not replace it.

We’ve always said authenticity isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s what separates meaningful communication from marketing noise. And as more brands race to automate, it’s exciting to see the rest of the world realize what we’ve known for years: in a sea of sameness, human touch is your competitive advantage.

The authenticity playbook for marketers and service leaders

Whether you’re managing a marketing calendar or running a customer support operation, the principle is the same: your brand’s human voice should lead, and AI should help it go further.

Here’s how we see the best brands balancing it:

Start human, scale with AI

Every great brand starts with a story: real founders, real customers, real moments. That’s the what and the why, the core message that gives your marketing or service interaction purpose.

From there, let AI do the building. Tools like Klaviyo’s Marketing Agent and Customer Agent use your brand guidelines and content from your website to create campaigns and send on-brand customer service messages. 

Or, maybe you are using Klaviyo’s MCP server to pull data into ChatGPT to uncover new segments and personalized ideas for your audience. You should still be feeding the LLM your brand voice guidelines to make sure the outputs are unique to your brand. 

Whichever way you produce copy and campaigns, you get speed, structure, and scale instantly with AI. Then, you take it the rest of the way. 

Add the flourishes, the context, the humor, or empathy that make your message unmistakably yours. That’s where the magic happens, when human creativity and emotional insight turn AI-generated content into something that feels truly personal.

Show emotion. It’s the most human advantage.

Data backs this up: when brands use storytelling and emotion to connect, performance improves across the board.

Klaviyo’s analysis found that content marketing campaigns consistently outperform other message types, with higher open and click rates, better deliverability, and lower spam rates. For smaller and growing businesses, this approach drives measurable impact: +12% higher attributed revenue (KAV) for brands that regularly send content-led, emotionally resonant messages.

This kind of content, i.e. thank-you messages, founder notes, and behind-the-scenes stories, builds trust. And trust creates stability. Accounts that communicate this way grow more consistently month over month, with steadier revenue and customer engagement.

Emotion, in other words, isn’t just nice to have. It’s an ROI driver.

So, yes, let AI help you get the words on the page. But make sure the emotion still comes from you. A line that makes someone smile, nod, or feel seen will always outperform a perfectly optimized paragraph.

The future is human-led, AI-accelerated

TikTok’s move shows that people don’t just want faster content. They want meaningful content. The brands that will stand out are those that use AI to enhance, not erase, what makes them human.

At Klaviyo, we’re building toward that future:

• AI Agents trained on your data, your tone, and your values, so every interaction feels personal.
• A unified platform that connects marketing and service, ensuring every message, from a product recommendation to a support resolution, feels like it came from the same trusted voice.
• LLM integrations and extensions like our MCP server so marketing and service leaders can leverage the power of Klaviyo’s platform in their preferred LLM.

In a world flooded with AI slop, the most powerful thing your brand can be is real. So, before your next campaign or customer message goes live, ask: Am I using AI to amplify my voice and brand story, or am I using it to just fill the space?

If it’s the former, you’re already ahead.