Snapchat Spotlight blocks AI-generated videos to reward real creators
- By Kumail Shah -
- Aug 03, 2026
Snapchat is officially joining the race to clean up AI slop on social media by restricting synthetic content on its platform.
Under the new policy, videos created entirely by artificial intelligence will not be recommended in Spotlight, Snapchat’s main feed for trending content.
The company says the change is intended to encourage original creativity and reduce the presence of low-quality, repetitive AI videos on its discovery page.
The updated guidelines do not prohibit users from sharing AI-generated videos in other areas of Snapchat. Creators may still use the platform’s AI tools to edit or improve their own footage, and these videos can continue to appear in Spotlight as long as they include clear indicators that AI was used.
The main difference is where the video comes from. AI can help with editing, but videos must be mostly made by people to be recommended in Spotlight.
By excluding fully AI-generated videos, Snapchat aims to prevent automated accounts from using the discovery feed to reach a wide audience.
Snapchat acknowledged the challenge of enforcing this policy, noting that “no detection system is perfect.” The company has not detailed exactly how it will distinguish heavily AI-enhanced recordings from wholly generated videos.
READ MORE: Sam Altman faces backlash over ChatGPT podcast idea for children
Snapchat’s decision follows similar steps taken by other major platforms to address the rise of automated content.
LinkedIn has expanded its tools for reporting suspected AI-generated posts, Substack has introduced an AI-detection feature for readers, and YouTube has restricted the monetization of mass-produced synthetic videos.
TikTok is also testing a feature that allows users to limit the amount of AI-created content in their feeds.
In contrast, Meta has announced plans to use its Muse models to generate a wide range of customized content for user feeds, which will appear alongside posts created by people.
As AI-generated videos become more common and difficult to distinguish, Snapchat is choosing to reserve its main discovery space for content created by people.