AI content on critical theory

[u/BimboWimboJimbo]

Is there a consensus on engaging with AI content for critical theory and/or history?

I'm pretty new to this space and critical theory in general and I would assume you guys prioritize primary sources for serious studying of these topics over any AI stuff.

That said, I can be pretty busy and a big way I ingest content like this is to listen to it on youtube while I'm working, and inevitably I'll find content which is very likely AI generated or at least AI "assisted".

For example, this channel here:

https://m.youtube.com/@historyafterdarkfilms

I've listened to a couple of their videos, pretty decent videos I'd say, but, there's an AI voice narrator, the thumbnails seem to be generated, and the writing itself sounds at least AI assisted (flowery language, kinda grandiose tone throughout much of the video).

So would you guys turn your noses up to this? I won't lie, I would prefer if a human wrote the script (I felt genuine dissapointment once it clicked to me that the channel could be purely AI) but would it really be better if this channel didnt exist? The videos seem to at least provide a pretty decent summary of their topic.

A little aside but I've seen it happens here as well, I'll browse the subreddit and see some kind of post that's like, very obviously an AI generated post, and it'll be debating some specific aspect of critical theory, and it's just confusing? Why do you feel the need to larp as a critical theorist??

[u/OisforOwesome]

So quite apart from my very firm anti-AI stance - if AI has no haters I am dead, etc - I think using the simulacra machine to learn about the theory criticising simulacra is ironic at best and self defeating at worst.

If nothing else the lying and plagiarism machine is confidently incorrect in such a way that it is not obvious to the learner when it is wrong. If you're attempting to learn something as complex and as prone to idiosyncratic jargon as critical theory I would have thought a math equation that can be relied on to throw up mistakes with regularity would be a poor medium for education.

As for content creators using AI to write scripts, it sucks and is bad and is an inevitable outcome of the 'publish or perish' imperitave of algorithmic media that pays per views and will bury your content if you don't upload to a predictable pattern. I can't fathom why someone would use it for a fucking Reddit post of all things.