---
title: "BuzzFeed Debuts AI 'Slop' Apps at SXSW in Bid for New Revenue"
date: 2026-03-17
source: TechCrunch
source_url: https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/17/buzzfeed-ai-slop-apps-sxsw-bf-island-conjure/
tags: [sxsw-2026, ai-agents, startup, innovation]
summary: BuzzFeed launches Branch Office, a spin-off with AI-powered consumer apps, at SXSW — but the audience reception was lukewarm at best.
---

# BuzzFeed Debuts AI 'Slop' Apps at SXSW in Bid for New Revenue

BuzzFeed co-founder Jonah Peretti used SXSW 2026 to unveil Branch Office, a new spin-off company exploring AI in consumer-facing apps. The presentation, however, landed with a thud — met with silence, polite tittering, and at one point, a lone cough from the audience.

## The New Apps

**BF Island** — A group chat platform with AI-powered photo editing and an editorial team curating trending memes and cultural moments for users to riff on.

**Conjure** — A daily photo prompt app (similar to BeReal) where users snap photos based on creative prompts. The app has "an AI spirit for a CEO," though what that means remains unclear.

**Quiz Party** — A social app for taking BuzzFeed quizzes with friends.

## The Elephant in the Room

The presentation came days after BuzzFeed disclosed "substantial doubt" about its ability to continue as a business, with a net loss of $57.3 million last year. The company is betting its future on Studio IP and these AI apps.

An audience member pointedly asked about retention — noting BeReal's failure to keep users coming back. The response was vague: the app would "have different types of things happening."

## A Cautionary Signal

As TechCrunch noted: "BuzzFeed seems to have thought more about what AI can do than what people want to do with AI, which is not a recipe for success."

Peretti's own framing — "software is the new content" — reveals the disconnect between building AI features and solving real user needs.

## Key Takeaways

- BuzzFeed's AI pivot illustrates the risk of technology-first thinking without clear user value
- The lukewarm SXSW reception signals growing audience fatigue with AI-for-AI's-sake products
- The contrast with ElevenLabs' meaningful voice restoration initiative (also at SXSW) highlights the gap between purposeful and performative AI applications