Skip to content
The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryAI in MarketingModel Collapse

AI in Marketing

Model Collapse

Degradation that occurs when AI models are trained heavily on AI-generated content, causing outputs to grow less diverse and accurate.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

Model collapse is the degradation that occurs when AI models are trained heavily on AI-generated content rather than human-created data. Over successive generations, outputs grow less diverse, less accurate, and more prone to repeating errors. It is one reason original, human-produced content and high-quality data sources remain valuable as AI-generated material spreads online.