Sloppy thinking

Talking about AI slop is now so ubiquitous that it’s become a prime example of the very slop it seeks to critique. Slopception, if you will.

It’s everywhere. The AFR’s Rear Window column has an occasional series calling out high profile execs for LinkedIn slop, which is enough to cause panic attacks for the poor social media manager with only ten minutes and an incredibly uninspiring voice note to work with.

Technologist, Mike Pepi, recently suggested a tax on AI slop that would go towards creative workers and cultural institutions. There’s a whole heap of problems with the proposal, although if creative workers included PR agency founders, we could probably get on board.

Elsewhere, Spotify introduced a new verified badge in a bid to flag AI slop, although apparently The Bleachers have a new album coming out so we’re not sure it really works. 

The Cave isn’t averse to a simple ‘AI uh oh’ narrative. In fact, it’s fuelled the better part of 62 editions. 

But a post from Eugene Healey got us thinking. He suggests slop isn’t native to AI, but is rather reflective of modern society. AI is just the mirror to our broader tendencies to push ever further towards consolidation. Perhaps all the talk of AI slop is just another example of this monobrain at work. 

In an effort to break out of it, we recommend the website ‘Your AI Slop Bores Me’, which has racked up millions of views with the simple idea of having humans reply to AI chatbot prompts. It’s slop we can all get behind.