One of TikTok’s newest trends has been garnering both love and controversy. The ‘AI Korean baseball trend’ has flooded people’s FYP, showing AI-generated videos of people sitting in crowded Korean baseball stadiums, appearing as though they were ‘caught’ by the camera and showing off their looks. This trend uses artificial intelligence tools to generate realistic videos that mimic Korean baseball broadcasts and fan culture. The trend quickly became popular, especially after many famous TikTok creators, including Brooke Monk, Natalie Reynolds and Harper Zilmer participated in it.
Many users enjoy participating in the new trend, and supporters believe the videos are entertaining, cinematic and creative. Many people like how artificial intelligence allows creators to create professional-looking videos without needing to buy an expensive camera or editing software. Many users online also argue that AI can be used as a creative tool rather than something to be feared or avoided. Many view this as a harmless and fun trend.
However, not everyone is impressed by the trend. As thousands of nearly identical videos made with AI flooded social media, users began referring to content like this as ‘AI slop.’ This term describes repetitive, low-effort AI-generated content that lacks authenticity and creativity.
Freshman Jocelyn Nandha shared her opinions about the trend, saying, “AI is lazy because it removes originality and creativity from social media; everyone uses the same prompt, and nothing is unique.”
Others criticized the trend for environmental factors. Artificial intelligence systems require massive amounts of energy and water to operate large data centers that power AI tools.
According to MIT News, “Researchers have estimated that a ChatGPT query consumes about five times more electricity than a simple web search.” This leaves many people questioning whether the use of AI on ‘frivolous’ trends is really worth it, considering the negative effects it has on the environment.
Freshman Imani Murungi said, “I think [AI videos] are lazy because it’s repetitive and boring. You can achieve the same results without using AI and wasting water.” She also added that AI-generated people often “look uncanny.”
Although the AI Korean baseball trend has gained popularity online, it has also sparked debates about originality, creativity and environmental impact. While some see artificial intelligence as an innovative and creative outlet for social media, others argue that it creates a repetitive and inauthentic platform.
