Reducing AI Slop on Makerworld

[Martin4]

With the rise of AI modelling with tools like Meshy.AI and similar tools it’s getting easier for people to pump out AI Slop on to Makerworld and it doesn’t seem like Makerworld, or any of the other model websites, are doing much about it.

There’s several different types of AI uses on here:

• AI Generated STLs
• AI Generated Cover Photos
• AI Generated Descriptions

Ideally when you upload a model, there should be a tick-box where you select which ones you’ve used and users can also filter out depending on their preference.

But that doesn’t seem to be in the works. So I’d like to propose a simpler method for now. Add a badge like the NotByAI, and then actively report any models that use that badge while clearly being AI Slop.

If anyone has other ideas, I’d love to hear it and work with other creators to try implement something.

[Square3D]

Before this last change, Makerworld had already announced that they would “pursue” AI slop more often. They stated in their rules that a model created with AI should be marked as such. But since that is an option given to the user, of course no one did it and that’s why we keep seeing AI slop being marked as “original creations”.

The only way for this to work is for Makerworld to hire real people, that cost real money, so that they can check daily for that slop. Makerworld prefers to use AI to combat AI and this has been the result. Also, we can’t expect much more from them since they give you the opportunity to use AI to create models and even highly endorse it.

There is an unorthodox way of doing it, if the community would work together. It was just needed a top comment on those AI slop models with a “creative” image and all the people liking it. Then the top comment would be that same image and everyone that checks the comments would know that it was AI. Would it work? No! People like to print junk. People like to spend money on wasted filament and people love AI slop, based on instagram, tiktok, facebook userbase.

[billdjohnson]

I don’t think we can assume everyone has the same idea of what “AI slop” is - I think we could probably all agree that an AI generated model is “AI slop”. When it comes to AI generated descriptions, images, or assembly guides, it isn’t as black and white.

For example, I have zero problem with a cover image having an AI generated background for a real photo of a real print - you might call that “AI slop”, but not everyone is a photographer, and not everyone has access to nice backdrops. Even still, I think there should be fully real photos in addition to the cover. AI renditions of a real model are, in my opinion, only “AI slop” if there aren’t also real images of the print. The key with images is that there absolutely must be real photos of real prints.

In regard to descriptions - Who cares? Can a person be really good at making 3D print models but horrible at writing or spelling, or do we only want submissions from people who are excellent 3D modelers, photographers, artists, and writers? I think people need to lighten up a bit.

I spent a month or more designing and modeling a pyramid tower that included games inside each level. I’m not a great artist, so after everything was designed, I wanted some hieroglyphic symbols on the outside of the model, so I used AI to make those symbols (had I not, I would have simply found some images online). I also took a real photo of the pyramid and changed the background with AI to be a desert. I didn’t intend to fool anyone into thinking I took a photo of it in the desert, nor that I could draw hieroglyphics, but when people mindlessly proclaim “AI slop!” for minor enhancements, you have to wonder if there’s some creative or intelligence insecurity.

[Mason49]

It’s all about to what extent and what the person is using the AI for. If they are only using it for small enhancements, like with backround pictures that are still the advertised model, then that’s ok in my book. It’s when they are purely putting no work in, and having AI doing everything that I would deem it “AI Slop”

[Shadows]

As I’ve said in the past, and what @Mason49 said;

@Shadows

many people across the industry now use AI to enhance the appearance of their product, even when it doesn’t accurately represent the real item,

If they are just using it to fix the model (slight changes only) using AI, it is worth turning a blind eye, but fully AI-generated items are just not on, especially if you are publishing them to get credit for something you didn’t make!

Small photo enhancements are still deceiving, especially if it is the thumbnail. So it should be a requirement that no AI Photos should be the thumbnail.

[BitingChaos]

I HATE seeing so many AI photos and AI-generated models. But I have used AI to help me come up with descriptions before.

My models are 100% human-designed, along with the not-so-pretty photos I try to take (backgrounds are always my computer desk or a scratched-up kitchen table). But the descriptions? I need to come up with something better than “Here’s my model. Enjoy!” every time I upload something.

I figured AI descriptions that come up with silly ideas like a bulleted list of random “gift ideas” as reasons to print my model are entertaining and silly, as well as being easy to identify as clearly AI.

AI descriptions don’t really mislead, and they’re not really what gets people to click on something to download. People aren’t downloading models because of descriptions. MakerWorld presents a photo, front and center. AI photos are the biggest misleading thing on the platform. I’d figure those would be the first thing Bambu Lab tries to deal with.

AI-generated models are then the next issue, as people are able to easily generate those. No one would even notice most AI models if they weren’t also paired up with a fancy AI photo. MakerWorld has its own AI-generation service, so Bambu Lab is obviously OK with AI-generated models. Their own AI-generated models need real photos, though.

[Blaster]

I’ve just bumped in shameless multiple copies of the same “monkey” (not D Luffy) with shamless AI pic, then onto a “project” that was just a real photo of a dog.

These stuff is the proof there is no minimum control over the site I now go to cringe for them

[ExpectDeer]

I would like to see users given a choice of whether or not they want to see AI models. Let them decide what they want to see.

For example, I was a long time subscriber to a vector image library website. The platform was becoming riddled with AI slop. A good chunk of AI generated vectors are a nightmare to work with. I can usually spot them before I download but it became increasingly hard to find actual usable human-made vectors. I got fed up and subscribed to a different platform because they have a filter to remove AI content from search results.

Just to see what the rest of the major STL repositories were doing, I went looking to see if they had a similar option. Surprisingly, every single one had an AI filter.

Printables has it in settings:

Thingiverse in settings:

Thangs has it. Again, in settings:

Cults has it in settings, too:

I was going to check MyMiniFactory but then remembered they ban AI generated models entirely.

Instead, for a laugh, I checked Creality Cloud thinking for sure they wouldn’t have a filter.

Surprise, surprise, they have it AND it’s right there on the search filter list vs buried in settings.

While I’m not one to brand bash, Creality Cloud is such a hot mess of popups, visual clutter, and system messages trying to get you to buy premium stuff that I would have thought they wouldn’t care who or what made the model. Maybe they don’t, but on paper they do.

So MakerWorld is looking to be very much the odd one out. I mean Creality did it. Creality.

I realize implementing such a filter requires creators to be honest when self reporting. Sadly, the world being what it is, honesty isn’t always forthcoming. I still see AI stuff in search results on the vector websites but they’re at least a lot less than before.

As for MakerWorld, regardless of where you stand on the issue, having the option to filter it gives users a choice. I left one long-time subscription because I wasn’t able to find what I needed in the mass of slop; other people may start doing the same thing.

edit: grammar is hard

[Mason49]

That’s is very intriguing! Maybe we should put that on the product request section of this forum and see if Bambu can add it at some point.

[jeffsf]

As much as I hate AI slop, you are going to have to somehow draw the line between “slop” and the extensive guided use of AI tools.

It is already at the point where computer programming is arguably again computer science now that the coding part of the task can be handed off to Claude or similar for many languages. The expertise is guiding the process, ensuring that the results are expected, and trying to prevent failure modes the “coder” didn’t consider. CAD/CAM is a discipline with a similar structure. Many of the outcomes are testable and verifiable. The steps to go from conceptual design to executed design are not what is important, the resulting design is what has the value.

Have you ever searched for an answer for how to do “XYZ” in Fusion? If you have over the last year or two, you probably “used AI” in creating your model.

[Xiphos44]

I have some new “real” models about to be published. They took weeks (some months) to get right and want them to be popular. I’m a hobbyist and don’t have the resources to make the thumbnail look amazing as it isn’t my full time job and I don’t have the time or software. I use chat gpt to make an amazing thumbnail using a photo of the actual model printed - you need to be strict in the prompt so it doesn’t generate fantasy geometry. The rest of the background shouldn’t matter as long as there a series of real photos. Maybe a random audit of 1 in every 100 or so models that make it through the publish test and are allowed to get published, if the stl or 3mf is just garbage, perhaps in addition to deleting that model, a temporary disable on that account to publish would discourage them.

[R3d-Five]

Is it that time of year already? Could have sworn we’d have another month before this topic came up.
Can I sumerize how this is going to go?
Someone has created a AI thread. Doesn’t matter what it is. It will attract holier than thou “makers”, some that upload 100’s of files a day, folks that have no skin in the game really, some that use it for just photo background or elements defending themselves and trying to separate themselves a bit from the “insert topic here”, some trolls, and the usual A vs. B folks.

This thread will go on and on with separate little jousts between one or two here and there until @JonRaymond has to step in and remind everyone to keep it civil.

That will work for a little while until a troll stirs the pot just cause. There will be links, spotlights put on users, thinly veiled insults, flat out insults devolving into a Lord of the Flies type atmosphere happening.

Before it’s over it will be Bambu Labs fault. It will be certain users fault. It will be everyone’s fault. It will be no ones fault. He’ll take a whiskey drink, he’ll take a cider drink…
He sings the songs that remind him of the good times…
He sings the songs that remind him of the better times.

Oh, well anyway. This is the best part. Somewhere near the end, it will start all over again and everyone will repeat themselves until they get distracted by something else.

I forgot to say this. If you want to go after AI slop then define it and get movin. Rome wasn’t built in a day. However maybe start smaller, you know achievable goals. Like all the “tests” and “calibration” nonsense. Bed cleaners! Flow Rate tests that are just the ones in Orca or BS. You know, the real low hanging slop.

Just sayin…

[user_2463535618]

I think you just described 99% of the internet discourse these days. Any forum no mater the topic is filled with the same patterns.

In regards to AI generated anything I take it like this: fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. I take responsibility for finding what I want and while its frustrating to waste time you can usually develop your own method for finding what you want without getting duped.

[CincinnatiDesigns]

Well maybe we should work on fixing that then and call out BS when we see it.

[spinlokd]

@R3d-Five

If you want to go after AI slop then define it and get movin.

Hmm now that would be an interesting feature. Rather than try to block “ai” or specific models, have a feature to filter out “models like this” where user would enter a prompt about what they dont like about a particular model and it would filter out everything that has the defined problematic qualities.

Ps: one man’s slop is another man’s inspiration

[MalcTheOracle]

It’s a reactive system.

Bambu Lab (MakerWorld in this case), only responds to reports. They do not appear to have any proactive employees cleaning up their system.

Even then, reacting to reports and adhering to their own rules is hit and miss.

Rubbish in the streets doesn’t affect their bottom line, until it does, they will not act to clean things up.

A business model and lack of pride that will hurt them when the next Bambu Lab comes around. Just as BL did to the iterate fast and ignore quality companies did in the early 2020s.

[Martin4]

Yep I completely agree with you, it’s definitely different for where it’s used.

I use AI image generation on my bookfinity covers, because I’m rubbish at SVG artwork but great at 3D models and concepts. In that case, the AI has helped me become more creative. Very similar to your hieroglyphics, it’s to enhance you so it’s definitely not slop!

For cover photos it can be fine if it’s for background replacement / touch up; but it’s frustrating when it changes the model or misleading. Providing there’s other real photos though I’ve got no problems with it.

My concern is more with the accounts that generate endless slop models on Meshy.AI based on ChatGPT prompts, a generated photo and description and uploaded in mass where there’s been no effort or care.

[Martin4]

Yep gotta love a reoccurring topic! I’m not here to complain and cry to Bambu to fix it because I want to gate-keep my CAD skills, I’m interested if creators have any interesting solutions like adding badges / tags to real photos, being more transparent about where AI was used, better reporting tools etc.

See you in the next thread.

[R3d-Five]

I think the thing that kills me is that AI bothers so many on MW yet the stupid things like single layer or two bed cleaners, standard Benchys (no changes to print files), cubes, flow rate tests and the like. Not to mention the multitudes of “me too” models that really are just copy paste of the one before it.

Then let’s clean up the “mods”. I saw 2 while browsing that made impossible claims. One is a ring that goes around the part fan on a P2S…on the outside now of the tool head. This ring claims to increase cooling efficiency and provide cleaner prints. Think about that for a bit. Funnel protectors were a thing on the og AMS, and some were good. The AMS 2 and the HT have ceramic funnel inlets. Plastic is not harder than ceramic yet we have funnel savers now, and plenty of them. Cosmetic, ok maybe. Helpful? Doubtful.

What was it, a year or so ago, maybe longer everyone was complaining about all the Hueforge. I even did a tongue in cheek Capt Rex and it got downloads. I feel dirty. Anyway MW did finally allow those to be categorized and ignored (ignore tag #hueforge).

So yeah, let’s define it, get MW fantastic and spot on AI to recognize it’s brothers (or sisters) and tag/tattle and we can just ignore #AIscary #AIslop #AItouchedmeinprivates. We can then sharpen our pitchforks and brooms for the next Babayka.

This Ted Talk has been sponsored by Makers Mark Coffee. When you need coffee, and Makers Mark Breakfast Blend is all you have, well it’s at least “coffee”.
Thank you for attending.

[DWdesigns]

How about this: Requiring the cover image to be a photo of the printed model.

AI background is ok, but what is showcased has to be a printed model. Not AI images, not renders, not design drawings.

The other 14 images can be anything. Feel free to go wild with AI images, renders, etc. People can post their vacation photos on these slots if they want. Who cares.

We don’t need to care if the slops are AI slop or man-made slop either.