Meta just dropped Vibes, a new AI-powered video feed that’s basically TikTok but with robots making all the content. The timing couldn’t be more awkward. Just weeks after the US and China struck a deal to keep the real TikTok alive, Meta’s launching what feels like a solution to a problem that no longer exists.
Instead of humans creating short videos, Vibes lets you scroll through AI-generated clips. You can remix them with different music or visual styles. It’s like Meta looked at the endless complaints about “AI slop” flooding social media and thought, “You know what? Let’s make an entire platform out of this.”
Here’s the thing: Meta already owns Instagram Reels, which was built specifically to compete with TikTok. Reels now makes up over a third of Instagram usage time. It reaches 726 million users through ads alone. So why does Meta need another video platform?
The user reaction has been brutal. Comments on Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement included gems like “gang nobody wants this” and “Bro’s posting ai slop on his own app.” People are getting pretty tired of AI-generated content cluttering up their feeds.
The launch comes at a weird time strategically too. A few months ago, companies were rushing to build TikTok alternatives because a ban seemed inevitable. Now that TikTok secured a deal to stay operational with American investors controlling the board, the urgency for TikTok replacements has basically evaporated.
Meta says you can cross-post Vibes content to Instagram and Facebook. This honestly just makes the whole thing feel even more redundant. If you want to compete with TikTok, maybe focus on making Reels better instead of fragmenting your video strategy across yet another platform.
