A monk sits in silence, offering bite-sized wisdom to millions on Instagram. His words, along with that calm wind chime sound in the background, makes many of his 2.5 million followers pause, reflect and return for more. There is just one catch: he does not exist. A viral post by Jack Brewster, journalist and CEO of news app Newsreel, has exposed the rise of eerily lifelike AI influencers such as Yang Mun. The AI monk is a serene online figure built entirely from algorithms capable of drawing real devotion and real money.
The findings are based on a months-long investigation by Brewster, published on his Substack, which examines how synthetic personas are being created, scaled, and monetised across social media platforms.
At the centre of the story is “Yang Mun”, an Instagram personality known for posting silent meditation videos and philosophical messages. While he appears almost real, the monk is entirely AI-generated, created using a combination of advanced tools and operated to maximise engagement.
AI content for commercial gains
The emergence of such accounts signals a shift in how artificial intelligence is being used online. While earlier concerns focused on misinformation and political propaganda, Brewster’s investigation suggests the technology is now largely being deployed for commercial gain.
“A Buddhist monk named Yang Mun has 2.5 million Instagram followers posting silent morning meditations. He’s made $300K+ since October. He’s also entirely fake — built with ChatGPT, HeyGen, ElevenLabs, and Nano Banana by an Israeli creator. Three Buddhist scholars said his wisdom isn’t grounded in any scripture, it just sounds like it is. I spent months reporting on the venture-backed industry that has popped up overnight to manufacture fake influencers, automate their posting, and scale them to millions of followers — all while platforms look the other way,” Brewster said.
Move over AI slop. “Big Slop” is here
The investigation describes this growing ecosystem as “Big Slop”, referring to a venture-backed network of creators, tools, and courses designed to produce and monetise synthetic content at scale.
The Yang Mun account is part of a wider trend where AI-generated personalities are used across sectors such as religion, finance, and wellness to attract audiences and generate income.
“He looks real, but Yang Mun is an entirely fictional persona…”
Created by Israeli AI storyteller Shalev Hani, the account reportedly earned over $300,000 within months of its launch. Using tools like ChatGPT, HeyGen, and ElevenLabs, such creators can automate content production and rapidly scale their reach.
Similar patterns have been observed across platforms owned by Meta, where AI-generated personas continue to gain traction despite occasional enforcement actions.
Platforms face scrutiny as ‘Big Slop’ grows
The rapid expansion of AI-generated influencers has raised concerns about transparency and platform accountability. Experts argue that engagement-driven algorithms often fail to distinguish between real and synthetic content, allowing such accounts to thrive.
“But Yang Mun isn’t the only AI-generated religious authority building a real audience right now.”
Brewster’s investigation also highlights similar cases across industries, including finance, entertainment, and wellness, where AI personas are used to promote products or redirect users to paid platforms.
As the “Big Slop” economy continues to expand, the line between authentic and artificial content is becoming increasingly blurred, posing new challenges for both users and regulators in the evolving digital landscape.
Disclaimer: This story is based on a post shared by a social media user. The details, opinions, and statements quoted herein belong solely to the original poster and do not reflect the views of Financialexpress.com. We have not independently verified the claims