Who is AI nostalgia slop even for?
There has been a recent deluge of generative AI videos featuring uncannily fresh-faced teens waxing nostalgic about how much better the world was during the '80s and '90s. As the AI youths smize and show off their period-specific haircuts, the clips cut to dreamlike footage of sun-drenched cul-de-sacs and vintage cars while songs like "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and tracks inspired by the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack play in the background. It's all very weird - like bragging that you peaked in high school.
As strange as the videos are, there is a relatively easy to understand logic at work here. On one level, this content appeal …