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By closely reading the aesthetic registers of GenAI images, the article raises sociological questions about the image’s role in contemporary society and the affective logics of late capitalism, including links to extractive and destructive material conditions.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/ai-and-aesthetic-alienation-the-image-and-creativity-in-contemporary-culture-abstract/141377/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/ai-and-aesthetic-alienation-the-image-and-creativity-in-contemporary-culture-abstract/141377.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Bill Black","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-06","2026-08-25",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What does the article claim about “AI slop” images?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"It argues that mass-produced GenAI images (“AI slop”) should be understood as a form of aesthetic alienation, not just an artistic shortcut.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How does the “moon-zoom” example relate to the argument?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"It shows AI-enabled insertion of details that were not present in the original scene, challenging what counts as a “real” photograph.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What sociological questions does the article say GenAI images raise?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"It highlights how GenAI images, especially in social media circulation, connect to attention economies and the affective logics of late capitalism, including extractive and destructive materialities.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},141377,1787655102,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":144},24189269381491,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/160000cf11732dd8392?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1788146458752108895","Please do not remove this page  \nAI and Aesthetic Alienation: The Image and Creativity in Contemporary Culture  \nSmith, Naomi; Southerton, Clare  \n[https://research.usc.edu.au/esploro/outputs/journalArticle/AI-and-Aesthetic-Alienation-The-Image/991148639902621/filesAndLinks?index=0](https://research.usc.edu.au/esploro/outputs/journalArticle/AI-and-Aesthetic-Alienation-The-Image/991148639902621/filesAndLinks?index=0)  \nSmith, N., & Southerton, C. (2026) . AI and Aesthetic Alienation: The Image and Creativity in Contemporary Culture. Social Science Computer Review, 44(1), 170–179. [https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393251361449](https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393251361449)  \nDocument Type: Published Version  \nLink to Published Version: [https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393251361449](https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393251361449)  \nUniSC Research Bank: [https://research.usc.edu.au](https://research.usc.edu.au)[ ](https://research.usc.edu.au)[research-repository@usc.edu.au](research-repository@usc.edu.au)  \n[CC BY V4.0](CC BY V4.0)  \n© The Author(s) 2025.This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License ( [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page ( [https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). Downloaded On 2026/08/25 20:03:46 +1000  \nPlease do not remove this page  \nSpecial Issue Article  \nAI and Aesthetic Alienation: The Image and Creativity in Contemporary Culture  \nNaomi Smith 1 􀀁 and Clare Southerton2 􀀁  \nSocial Science Computer Review 2026, Vol. 44(1) 170–179 © The Author(s) 2025  \nArticle reuse guidelines:  \n[sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)  \n[DOI: 10.1177/08944393251361449](DOI: 10.1177/08944393251361449)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/08944393251361449)[journals.sagepub.com/home/ssc](journals.sagepub.com/home/ssc)  \nAbstract  \nIn this comment piece, we argue that mass-produced generative AI (GenAI) images, commonly referred to as “AI slop” should be considered a form of aesthetic alienation. Specifically, we focus on GenAI images of fall, arguing that GenAI images alienate not only artists from their art, but produces an alienating aesthetic in and of itself. Closely attending to the aesthetic registers of GenAI images opens up important sociological questions about the role of the image in contemporary society, and the affective logics of late capitalism. Finally, we highlight how GenAI images are profoundly implicated in the extractive and destructive materialities of late capitalism.  \nKeywords  \ngenerative AI, aesthetics, alienation, affect, capitalism  \nOn Trying and Failing to Photograph the Moon  \nHave you ever tried to take a photo of the moon and been dissatisfied with the result? Amateur and professional photographers alike know that photos often fall comically short of the encounter in the moment. For years, Samsung marketing claimed that their phones were better equipped to take high-quality photos of the moon, boasting “moon-zoomed technology”. In March 2023, Samsung was caught “faking” photos of the moon (Vincent & Porter, 2023) . The “faking” was discovered by a Reddit user, who took a blurry photo of the moon and photographed it (the prior photo) with a Samsung phone (the S23 Ultra) (Vincent & Porter, 2023) . The phone inserted details that were not present—and, importantly, could not be present in the original photograph—producing a crisp and highly detailed “photograph” of the moon. Users had been accusing Samsung of overlaying texture filters onto photographs of the moon since the feature first launched in a 2020 model, but Samsung repeatedly denied that this was the case.  \n1 University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia 2Monash University, Australia  \nCorresponding Auth","cbCaioTSR8UUw9Ds","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaioTSR8UUw9Ds","pdf",1160506,11,"English","# Abstract\n# Keywords\n# On Trying and Failing to Photograph the Moon\n## AI-generated image substitution and “moon-zoom” examples\n# AI images, alienation, and late capitalism\n## “AI slop” and sociological implications\n# Fall aesthetics and the AI slop example","[{\"question\":\"What does the article claim about “AI slop” images?\",\"answer\":\"It argues that mass-produced GenAI images (“AI slop”) should be understood as a form of aesthetic alienation, not just an artistic shortcut.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the “moon-zoom” example relate to the argument?\",\"answer\":\"It shows AI-enabled insertion of details that were not present in the original scene, challenging what counts as a “real” photograph.\"},{\"question\":\"What sociological questions does the article say GenAI images raise?\",\"answer\":\"It highlights how GenAI images, especially in social media circulation, connect to attention economies and the affective logics of late capitalism, including extractive and destructive materialities.\"}]","AI and Aesthetic Alienation: The Image and Creativity in Contemporary Culture - Abstract | PDF",28]