AI Generated Thumbnails

[u/Korventus]

Firstly, I completely respect that content creators are free to create whatever kind of thumbnails they want and it’s everyone’s choice whether we click on it, so it’s not really a DEEP issue.

But why are we in an age where flight sim is looking as close to realism as it ever conceivably has but people still feel the need to use AI slop for a thumbnail? Your sim already looks mind blowing but you still need to click bait with a false representation?

Especially since DLSS5 has been implemented by a lot of content creators, I’m seeing more and more of it and I cannot understand the thought process of going to the extra effort when a screenshot from your sim would look miles better.

Ultimately yes I get that it’s to pull in more clicks and views but it just seems a waste when we have such good looking sims already.

[u/City_of_Paris]

You said it in your last sentence : it's pretty much clickbait.

[u/Rockyz007]

1000000%

I'm in the video editing business and I've had to create thumbnails before, flight sim is by far the EASIEST. Just take a screenshot and add the from/to text in flashy colors (being basic ofc).

Actually was in a popular streamers chat and I asked why they use AI thumbnails and they had a poor speech of "what else am i meant to do as a poor old streamer wah wah wah" like how every other fucking small creator made thumbnails in the past? take 5 minutes out of your day and make a thumbnail for your content.

Being so honest, so many youtubers and streamers miss out on tons of viewers who won't click on an AI thumbnail, not just in the flightsim community but in general, nearly everyone i know irl has the same opinion, it's shitty and slop and they all look the fucking same

[u/Marklar_RR]

But why are we in an age where flight sim is looking as close to realism as it ever conceivably has but people still feel the need to use AI slop for a thumbnail? Your sim already looks mind blowing but you still need to click bait with a false representation?

They think their videos will stand out from others on the youtube feed page. Just click on the triple dot and select "don't recommend this channel". Problem is solved and nothing of value was lost. Most of this content is useless anyway.

[u/Canit12]

Oh, are we talking about "Perfect Flight" and their awful AI slop thumbnails? Advertising with fake screenshots should not be allowed in the Marketplace.

[u/CraigT420]

Exactly. Flightsim.to has so much ai slop, yet the sim is so beautiful for taking screenshots.

[u/SpartanDoubleZero]

YouTube pushes the use of AI thumb nails and favors video performance for those that used the ai generator to create their thumb nail. As of now it isn’t super noticeable for large creators, but it makes a meaningful impact for those who are sub 50k

[u/R4b → u/SpartanDoubleZero]

Source?

[u/Dizzy-Pin-1410]

It’s probably the same reason why anyone uses AI for anything: it’s quicker and easier than making something or thinking for yourself.

But the joke’s on them, because a lot of us don’t click on AI generated thumbnails. It shows that the creator doesn’t really care, and if they don’t care then why should I?

If we’re being honest I have much better things to do than watch their video anyway, and seeing AI thumbnails acts as a reminder that I’m basically just wasting time. Speaking of which, I should probably get back to work.

[u/jontebeatz1337]

I tend to avoid content creators and developers who use AI slop in their images. I’m not a fan of it, and I never will be. The aircraft can be really good but if all the image are just AI generated… Im not buying it.

[u/Julian_Sark → u/jontebeatz1337]

I have some Karma to burn, so here we go:

I just realized that AI hate bros. are kinda like evangelicals: "I would never do x even if y is really good, and I chastice anyone who does, because I have virtue!"

[u/scaflight → u/Julian_Sark]

Some people erect strawmen arguments, but yours isn't even upright.

[u/CookiezFort → u/Julian_Sark]

Well no hating AI because it ruins the creative and turns people into brainless idiots is nothing like religious folk. 

Students cant even hand in assignments without AI. People are having their work copied and otherwise used without permission. Along with data centers taking up valuable land and the environmental impact it's fairly obvious why people might oppose AI.

[u/Julian_Sark]

Respectfully:

How often are we discussuing this, and why is "society is shit and this makes clicks, and clicks make cash" not the universally accepted answer yet?

[u/R4b]

People have been using REAL PHOTOS for thumbnails for years now, equally as misleading and annoying but at the same time essentially no different to the issue you're complaining about and whilst I'm with you, AI thumbnails are gross, I find it odd I see little to no complaints about the real photo thumbs...

[u/tripel7]

They are free to use whatever AI slop thumbnails they want. And I'm free to remove every channel using AI slop thumbnails from my recommendations feed

[u/Dan27]

DLSS5 has been an absolute goldmine for the clout chasers, both on social media and here on Reddit.

[u/MadCard05]

I have to think this is YouTube pushing it given it proliferation across so many channels and genres.

[u/scaflight]

I always ignore the channels that use AI. Any AI, though thumbnails are usually the first and sometimes only giveaway. Maybe they'll survive without me viewing or subscribing, but I can't support that level of laziness when it piggybacks off the theft of copyrighted work from artists. It's a quick way to learn that someone has a different set of values to myself.

[u/Florakost]

Because AI thumbnails are driving more traffic and are picked up by the algorithm much better. Thats why.

[u/jacf182]

“They made an awesome airplane, hand coded, hand modeled, flies and feels great. But the thumbnail is AI slop. I ain’t buying it”. Top Reddit right here.

[u/Korventus → u/jacf182]

To be clear, I’m talking about flight sim content creators not addon developers

[u/jacf182 → u/Korventus]

Meant to reply to another comment in this post. I apologize.

[u/scaflight → u/jacf182]

I think you are mistaking class solidarity for "reddit".

[u/strodey123]

Thumbnails can take surprisingly long to set up, add text etc. AI can make them much quicker, in my opinion look much better. If that draws more people to the creators I like so they keep creating, I'm all for it.

That being said, I stay for the creator, not the thumbnail.

[u/Korventus → u/strodey123]

I get that it makes it easier, but you can use AI to make a thumbnail image without visually enhancing the screenshot to levels beyond what your actual sim looks like no?

[u/strodey123 → u/Korventus]

Yeah I would agree with that, I haven't seen any that do that (that I've noticed) so maybe I just don't regulary watch people who do.

I more meant the graphics around the photo they've taken from the sim, banners etc

[u/XxRAMOxX]

The people who mostly complain about Ai slop are like the blackberry users who thought the physical keyboard on their phones was better than the newly introduced touchscreen iPhone keyboard.

[u/Julian_Sark → u/XxRAMOxX]

More like Great-Grandpa, who cursed at all them stinking, noisy, new-fangled automobiles that, while killing the planet and occasionally breaking down, would mostly get people around in great comfort. He spiked his blood pressure over cars for years and eventually had a heat stroke on his twenty mile walk to the shops.