Shrimp Jesus, Italian Party Characters and Children Made from Plastic Bottles: The Business of Digital Garbage

What do Jesus Christ, shrimp and a Facebook algorithm have in common? Together, they helped turn bizarre AI-generated images into a profitable formula.

Images created by artificial intelligence now appear in enormous numbers, ranging from religious surrealism to children depicted with plastic bottles. They can be fascinating and frightening at the same time. Often, the purpose is not artistic exploration but economic gain by the people who distribute them through social networks.

The creators are rarely verifiable. What is clear is that the relationship between people and machines has become self-reinforcing: humans steer the machine, and the machine also steers human behavior. The trends follow a similar pattern. They are designed to trigger strong emotions.

The “Shrimp Jesus” images spread on Facebook in 2024. Their strange religious subject attracted attention, and users liked, commented “Amen” and shared the fakes. The algorithm rewarded those interactions with greater reach. That reach could then be used to sell valuable advertising space, benefiting both the distributors and the social network.

Another wave, known as “Italian brainrot,” features figures such as a shark in blue sneakers called “Tralalero Tralala” and a bomber crocodile called “Bombardino Crocodilo.” Short films circulate widely, while the creatures have moved into the physical world as plush toys and key rings.

AI has also made fake art and invented artists easier to produce. Images of chainsaw sculptures can imitate works and artists that never existed, while software can copy real artists’ work. The American satirist John Oliver highlighted the problem. In response, he had a real woodcarver build an absurd generated image of a man made from cabbages.

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