Experts explain the future of artificial intelligence
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the Artificial Intelligence Conference in London on Wednesday, working on the Biden administration's plan to address concerns about Ai Simon Wilby, creator of 1voice AI, and joined Livenow from Fox's Mike Pache to discuss concerns and potential solutions.
In early 2025, the AI-generated ballerina with cappuccino cups for the head gave views of over 55 million tiktok. Known as Ballerina Cappuccina, the character sings in a deep, computer-generated male voice that mixes Italian words with meaningful things.
She is one of the leading stars of “Italian Brain Corruption,” a viral meme trend made up of very realistic characters, absurd music and storylines that makes no sense for most adults.
The term “brain corruption” itself was Oxford's 2024 Word of the Year, defined as a mental blunting caused by an overdose of trivial or challenging content.
What is “brain rot”?
Dive deeper:
The Italian brain rot trend began with shark Torararo Torarara wearing Nike sneakers on the fin. Other works were soon followed. This is an armadillo packed inside a crocodillo plane with a crocodillo, a cactus elephant named Lilililira, and a coconut called Armadillo Crocodillo.
The whole storyline is built around these characters with intentionally ridiculous songs. Some videos became virus overnight, reaching tens of millions of viewers.
This trend has also become a game. At Roblox, one of the most popular games on the platform this summer was “Stolen Brainrot.” The competition has become so intense that the accusations of “management abuse” – administrators taking characters unfairly – sent some kids to the meltdown and showed viral videos in tears.
Why children are attracted to brain rot
For many young fans, the appeal is that the content is completely meaningless.
“It's fun because it's nonsense,” Italian animator Fabian Mosere, who created the video for the viral brain rot, told the Associated Press. “Looking at something too dark, in a way, and in a way not normal, it breaks all the norms of what we see on television. It's just so fascinating.”
People show artificial intelligence-driven avatars on tablets during technology showcase and humanoid robots appear in the background. (Photo of Frederic J. Brown/AFP by Getty Images)
Children's media researcher Emily Owens said parents often watch brain corruption, just like past generations who worry about comic books, television and video games.
“It's very normal that everyone has to switch their brains multiple times,” Owens said.
Backstory:
The “brain rot” content is not present alone. Similar absurd trends include the general practice of pairing the “Skibidy Toilet” animation series and the endless “Subway Surfer” with the general practice of pairing with random TV program clips.
While these videos may seem meaningless to adults, they serve as cultural touchstones for the generations born between 2010 and 2025.
What you can do:
Experts say the main concern with “brain corruption” is the amount of time children scroll, not the content itself.
Some videos touch on real-world issues temporarily, but most are designed to be stupid and ridiculous. Researchers point out that the content itself is not harmful. Instead, it reflects how children carve their cultural space online.
For parents, the bigger question may be about balance. Monitor how much time they spend while understanding what their children are watching.
sauce: The report is based on information from the Associated Press and additional reports on social media trends and expert commentary.
