Platforms are finally recognizing that people don’t want to consume AI slop. A growing number of sites and apps now have tools and policies to flag, label, and ban AI-generated content.
AI is new, but slop has always existed. Just think of reality shows, elevator music, reader’s digest, mid-afternoon novelas, generic pop music. There has always been content created for the lowest denominator, specifically for passive consumption, designed to reach the biggest possible audience and with no artistic intentions whatsoever, and a huge quantity of people to mindlessly consume it.
There’s a huge market for slop: junk food, slop entertainment, fast fashion. We’re a planet of slop lovers. AI slop will remain popular among many.
We’re trained for slop. Trained to be hostile to meaning.
Are these “many” in the room with you right now?
AI is new, but slop has always existed. Just think of reality shows, elevator music, reader’s digest, mid-afternoon novelas, generic pop music. There has always been content created for the lowest denominator, specifically for passive consumption, designed to reach the biggest possible audience and with no artistic intentions whatsoever, and a huge quantity of people to mindlessly consume it.