AI-generated short videos are spreading very fast online. Many of them are only eight seconds long. Why eight seconds? Because short clips can quickly trigger emotions before our brain has time to think or check the facts. These videos are often made with new “text-to-video” tools. For example, models like Google’s V*3 can make realistic video and matching audio from a simple prompt. But creating long, smooth videos needs huge computing power, so most AI clips stay short (about 240 frames = 8 seconds).
These short videos can be funny, but they can also be dangerous when they look like real news. Viewers may share them without checking. In some clips, you can spot classic AI mistakes: strange hands and fingers, people or objects merging, or nonsense text in the background. Many clips also avoid camera movement and keep the same background. During crises, some AI videos use a fake “drone-style” high angle to look more believable.
Sometimes two 8-second clips are stitched together to make a longer scene. Platforms even animate a single photo to create a few seconds of motion. Because our feeds show content we already like and share, these clips spread quickly inside our online communities. To stay safe, we should slow down, look for the signs, and fact-check before we trust or share.
Vocabulary :
• AI slop (noun): Low-effort, mass-made AI content flooding the web.
• misinformation (noun): False or wrong information, shared by mistake.
• disinformation (noun): False information shared on purpose to trick people.
• text-to-video (noun): A tool that makes video from written instructions.
• prompt (noun): The words you type to tell an AI what to create.
• clip (noun): A very short video.
• frame (noun): One single image inside a video.
• computing power (noun): The machine strength needed to run AI.
• hallmark (noun): A typical sign that shows what something is.
• fact-check (verb): To verify if information is true.
• merge (verb): To join or blend into one in an unnatural way.
• gibberish (noun): Text or speech that makes no sense.
• drone (noun): A small aircraft without a pilot, often used for filming.
• scene change (noun): A switch to a different view or place in a video.
• authentic (adj): Real; not fake.
• viral (adj): Shared very quickly by many people online.
• high angle (noun): A view from above, looking down.
• curated (adj): Chosen and organized for you by a system or person.
• audio stream (noun): The sound that goes with a video.
• stitch together (verb): To join short parts into one longer video.