AI-generated ‘slop’ is slowly killing the internet, so why is nobody trying to stop it? | Arwa Mahdawi

The internet is being flooded with low-quality content generated by artificial intelligence, often referred to as AI slop. This type of content is crowding out genuine human-generated material, making it difficult to distinguish between the two. The writer, Arwa, emphasizes that she is a real human being, operating in the physical world, and not an AI-powered bot. The distinction is important, as AI-generated content is becoming increasingly prevalent online. The term AI slop refers to low-quality text, videos, and images generated by artificial intelligence, and it is rapidly taking over the internet. A recent analysis found that more than half of longer English-language posts on LinkedIn are AI-generated, highlighting the extent of the problem. Many news sites are also experimenting with AI-generated content, often without disclosing that it is not written by a human. This trend is concerning, as it raises questions about the authenticity and value of online content. The proliferation of AI slop is being encouraged by platforms such as Facebook, which is failing to regulate it. As a result, genuine human-generated content is becoming a novelty, and it is unclear where this trend will end or what its ultimate consequences will be.