Browser tab content: # AI slop

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[![A statue of a man, waist up, submerged underwater and covered in bright orange shrimp. There is a halo of shrimp above his head.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Shrimp_Jesus_example.jpg/117px-Shrimp_Jesus_example.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shrimp_Jesus_example.jpg)

[![A statue of a man floating high over the ocean. Aside from the head and some of his torso, he is made up of shrimp and ocean plants that blend and meld with each other.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Facebook_AI_slop%2C_%22Shrimp_Jesus%22_2.jpg/117px-Facebook_AI_slop%2C_%22Shrimp_Jesus%22_2.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Facebook_AI_slop,_%22Shrimp_Jesus%22_2.jpg)

[![A crustacean man underwater, with a stone head, neck, and hands. His body and arms are a sort of lobster-crab shell, and he has a dozen long crab legs sprouting from his sides.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Facebook_AI_slop%2C_%22Shrimp_Jesus%22_1.jpg/238px-Facebook_AI_slop%2C_%22Shrimp_Jesus%22_1.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Facebook_AI_slop,_%22Shrimp_Jesus%22_1.jpg)

The multitude of AI-generated images of a "[Shrimp Jesus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrimp_Jesus "Shrimp Jesus")" are a commonly used example of slop.[\[1\]](#cite_note-Hern-2024-1)[\[2\]](#cite_note-2)

**AI slop**, commonly referred to simply as **slop**, is low-quality media—including writing and images—made using [generative artificial intelligence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_artificial_intelligence "Generative artificial intelligence") technology.[\[3\]](#cite_note-Read-2024-3)[\[4\]](#cite_note-NYT-2024-4)[\[1\]](#cite_note-Hern-2024-1) Coined in the 2020s, the term has a derogatory connotation akin to "[spam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spamming "Spamming")".[\[3\]](#cite_note-Read-2024-3)

It has been variously defined as "digital clutter",[\[5\]](#cite_note-Hughes-2024-5) "filler content produced by AI tools that prioritize speed and quantity over substance and quality",[\[5\]](#cite_note-Hughes-2024-5) and "shoddy or unwanted AI content in social media, art, books and, increasingly, in search results".[\[6\]](#cite_note-NYT-2024a-6)

Jonathan Gilmore, Professor of Philosophy at the [City University of New York](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_University_of_New_York "City University of New York"), describes the "incredibly banal, realistic style" of AI slop as being "very easy to process".[\[7\]](#cite_note-7)

As [large language models](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_language_model "Large language model") (LLMs) and [image diffusion models](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_model "Diffusion model") accelerated the creation of high-volume but low-quality written content and images, discussion commenced for the appropriate term for the volume. Terms proposed included "AI garbage", "AI pollution", and "AI-generated dross".[\[4\]](#cite_note-NYT-2024-4) Early uses of the term "slop" as a descriptor for low-grade AI material apparently came in reaction to the release of AI art generators in 2022.[\[6\]](#cite_note-NYT-2024a-6) Its early use has been noted among [4chan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4chan "4chan"), [Hacker News](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_News "Hacker News") and [YouTube](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube "YouTube") commentators as a form of in-group [slang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slang "Slang").[\[6\]](#cite_note-NYT-2024a-6)

The British computer-programmer [Simon Willison](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Willison "Simon Willison") is credited for being an early champion of the term "slop" in the mainstream,[\[1\]](#cite_note-Hern-2024-1)[\[6\]](#cite_note-NYT-2024a-6) which he did in May 2024 on his personal blog.[\[8\]](#cite_note-8) However, he has said it was in use long before he began pushing for the term.[\[6\]](#cite_note-NYT-2024a-6)

The term gained increased popularity in second quarter 2024 in part because of [Google](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google "Google")'s use of its [Gemini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_\(chatbot\) "Gemini (chatbot)") AI model to generate responses to search queries,[\[6\]](#cite_note-NYT-2024a-6) and was widely used in media headlines by the fourth quarter of 2024.[\[1\]](#cite_note-Hern-2024-1)[\[3\]](#cite_note-Read-2024-3)

Research found that training LLMs on slop causes [model collapse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_collapse "Model collapse"): a consistent decrease in the lexical, syntactic, and semantic diversity of the model outputs through successive iterations, notably remarkable for tasks demanding high levels of creativity.[\[9\]](#cite_note-9)

[![A white man wearing military fatigues looks sad while sitting in a wheelchair holding a cardboard sign saying "Today's my birthday, please like." His right leg is wrapped in bandages and his wheelchair is in front of an American flag with missing stars.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/AI-generated_veteran_birthday_sign_image.png/220px-AI-generated_veteran_birthday_sign_image.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AI-generated_veteran_birthday_sign_image.png)

Image generated using a slop prompt designed to appeal to a US audience, from a [Hindi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindi "Hindi")\-language seminar: "american \[_[sic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sic "Sic")_\] soldier veteran holding cardboard sign that says 'today’s my birthday, please like' injured in battle veteran war american \[_sic_\] flag"[\[3\]](#cite_note-Read-2024-3)

AI image and video slop proliferated on social media in part because it was revenue generating for its creators on [Facebook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook "Facebook") and [TikTok](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TikTok "TikTok"). This incentivizes individuals from [developing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developing_country "Developing country") countries to create images that appeal to audiences in the United States which attract higher advertising rates.[\[10\]](#cite_note-Koebler-2024-10)[\[11\]](#cite_note-11)[\[12\]](#cite_note-12)

The journalist Jason Koebler speculated that the bizarre nature of some of the content may be due to the creators using Hindi, Urdu, and Vietnamese prompts (languages which are underrepresented in the model's [training data](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Training_data "Training data")), or using erratic [speech-to-text](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech-to-text "Speech-to-text") methods to translate their intentions into English.[\[10\]](#cite_note-Koebler-2024-10)

Speaking to _[New York](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_\(magazine\) "New York (magazine)")_ magazine, a Kenyan creator of slop images described giving [ChatGPT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChatGPT "ChatGPT") prompts such as "WRITE ME 10 PROMPT picture OF JESUS WHICH WILLING BRING HIGH ENGAGEMENT ON FACEBOOK", and then feeding those created prompts into a [text-to-image](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text-to-image "Text-to-image") AI service such as [Midjourney](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midjourney "Midjourney").[\[3\]](#cite_note-Read-2024-3)

In August 2024, _[The Atlantic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Atlantic "The Atlantic")_ noted that AI slop was becoming associated with the political right in the United States, who were using it for [shitposting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shitposting "Shitposting") and [engagement farming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engagement_farming "Engagement farming") on social media, the technology offering "cheap, fast, on-demand fodder for content".[\[13\]](#cite_note-13)

In the aftermath of [Hurricane Helene](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Helene "Hurricane Helene") in the United States, members of the [Republican Party](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_\(United_States\) "Republican Party (United States)") circulated an AI-generated image of a young girl holding a puppy in a flood, and used it as evidence of the failure of President [Joe Biden](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden "Joe Biden") to respond to the disaster.[\[14\]](#cite_note-14) Some, like [Amy Kremer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Kremer "Amy Kremer"), shared the image on social media even while acknowledging that it was not genuine.[\[15\]](#cite_note-15)[\[16\]](#cite_note-16)

[![A detailed but poorly-done illustration a man surrounded by candy, themed vaguely after Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka. Text above and below are misspelled or nonsense. Shapes morph and blend into one another.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/36/Willy%27s_Chocolate_Experience_advertisement.png/220px-Willy%27s_Chocolate_Experience_advertisement.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Willy%27s_Chocolate_Experience_advertisement.png)

One of the [Willy's Chocolate Experience](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy%27s_Chocolate_Experience "Willy's Chocolate Experience") advertisements, with uncorrected spelling errors and nonsensical words

Fantastical promotional graphics for the 2024 [Willy's Chocolate Experience](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy%27s_Chocolate_Experience "Willy's Chocolate Experience") event, characterized as "AI-generated slop",[\[17\]](#cite_note-17) misled audiences into attending an event that was held in a cheaply decorated warehouse. One [Reddit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reddit "Reddit") user expressed surprise that people were buying tickets for the event based only on AI-generated [Facebook](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook "Facebook") advertisements, with no genuine photographs of the venue.[\[18\]](#cite_note-18)

In October 2024, thousands of people were reported to have assembled for a non-existent Halloween parade in Dublin as a result of a listing on an aggregation listings website, MySpiritHalloween.com, which used AI-generated content.[\[19\]](#cite_note-19)[\[20\]](#cite_note-NYT-2024b-20) The listing went viral on TikTok and [Instagram](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram "Instagram").[\[21\]](#cite_note-21) While a similar parade had been held in [Galway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway "Galway"), and Dublin had hosted parades in prior years, there was no parade in Dublin in 2024.[\[20\]](#cite_note-NYT-2024b-20) One analyst characterized the website, which appeared to use AI-generated staff pictures, as likely using artificial intelligence "to create content quickly and cheaply where opportunities are found".[\[22\]](#cite_note-22) The site's owner said that "We asked ChatGPT to write the article for us, but it wasn't ChatGPT by itself." In the past the site had removed non-existent events when contacted by their venues, but in the case of the Dublin parade the site owner said that "no one reported that this one wasn't going to happen". MySpiritHalloween.com updated their page to say that the parade had been "canceled" when they became aware of the issue.[\[23\]](#cite_note-Wired-23)

1.  ^ [Jump up to: _**a**_](#cite_ref-Hern-2024_1-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-Hern-2024_1-1) [_**c**_](#cite_ref-Hern-2024_1-2) [_**d**_](#cite_ref-Hern-2024_1-3) Hern, Alex; Milmo, Dan (2024-05-19). ["Spam, junk … slop? The latest wave of AI behind the 'zombie internet'"](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/may/19/spam-junk-slop-the-latest-wave-of-ai-behind-the-zombie-internet). _The Guardian_. [ISSN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISSN_\(identifier\) "ISSN (identifier)") [0261-3077](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 2024-09-28.
2.  **[^](#cite_ref-2 "Jump up")** Notopoulos, Katie. ["Why doesn't Facebook just ban AI slop like Shrimp Jesus?"](https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-facebook-ban-ai-slop-images-shrimp-jesus-why-2024-6). _Business Insider_. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
3.  ^ [Jump up to: _**a**_](#cite_ref-Read-2024_3-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-Read-2024_3-1) [_**c**_](#cite_ref-Read-2024_3-2) [_**d**_](#cite_ref-Read-2024_3-3) [_**e**_](#cite_ref-Read-2024_3-4) Read, Max (2024-09-25). ["Drowning in Slop"](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ai-generated-content-internet-online-slop-spam.html). _Intelligencer_. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
4.  ^ [Jump up to: _**a**_](#cite_ref-NYT-2024_4-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-NYT-2024_4-1) ["How Long Will A.I.'s 'Slop' Era Last?"](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/24/opinion/ai-annoying-future.html). _The New York Times_. July 24, 2024.
5.  ^ [Jump up to: _**a**_](#cite_ref-Hughes-2024_5-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-Hughes-2024_5-1) Hughes, Johnny (2024-09-03). ["How Businesses Can Avoid AI Slop"](https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/how-businesses-can-avoid-ai-slop/478715). _Entrepreneur_. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
6.  ^ [Jump up to: _**a**_](#cite_ref-NYT-2024a_6-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-NYT-2024a_6-1) [_**c**_](#cite_ref-NYT-2024a_6-2) [_**d**_](#cite_ref-NYT-2024a_6-3) [_**e**_](#cite_ref-NYT-2024a_6-4) [_**f**_](#cite_ref-NYT-2024a_6-5) ["First Came 'Spam.' Now, With A.I., We've Got 'Slop'"](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/11/style/ai-search-slop.html). _The New York Times_. June 11, 2024.
7.  **[^](#cite_ref-7 "Jump up")** ["The deluge of bonkers AI art is literally surreal"](https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/of-interest/2024/06/30/ai-art-facebook-slop-artificial-intelligence/). _Washington Post_. 2024-06-30. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
8.  **[^](#cite_ref-8 "Jump up")** ["Slop is the new name for unwanted AI-generated content"](https://simonwillison.net/2024/May/8/slop/). _simonwillison.net_. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
9.  **[^](#cite_ref-9 "Jump up")** Guo, Yanzhu; Shang, Guokan; Vazirgiannis, Michalis; Clavel, Chloé (2024-04-16). "The Curious Decline of Linguistic Diversity: Training Language Models on Synthetic Text". [arXiv](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArXiv_\(identifier\) "ArXiv (identifier)"):[2311.09807](https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.09807) \[[cs.CL](https://arxiv.org/archive/cs.CL)\].
10.  ^ [Jump up to: _**a**_](#cite_ref-Koebler-2024_10-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-Koebler-2024_10-1) Koebler, Jason (2024-08-06). ["Where Facebook's AI Slop Comes From"](https://www.404media.co/where-facebooks-ai-slop-comes-from/). _404 Media_. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
11.  **[^](#cite_ref-11 "Jump up")** Tang, Jiaru; Wikström, Patrik (2024-09-19). ["'Side job, self-employed, high-paid': behind the AI slop flooding TikTok and Facebook"](https://theconversation.com/side-job-self-employed-high-paid-behind-the-ai-slop-flooding-tiktok-and-facebook-237638). _The Conversation_. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
12.  **[^](#cite_ref-12 "Jump up")** Gault, Matthew (2024-08-07). ["Facebook's Twisted Incentives Created Its AI Slop Era"](https://gizmodo.com/facebooks-twisted-incentives-created-its-ai-slop-era-2000484110). _Gizmodo_. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
13.  **[^](#cite_ref-13 "Jump up")** Warzel, Charlie (2024-08-21). ["The MAGA Aesthetic Is AI Slop"](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/08/trump-posts-ai-image/679540/). _The Atlantic_. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
14.  **[^](#cite_ref-14 "Jump up")** ["Gullible Trump Cronies Losing Their Minds Over Fake AI Slop on Twitter"](https://www.yahoo.com/news/gullible-trump-cronies-losing-minds-131558726.html). _Yahoo News_. 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
15.  **[^](#cite_ref-15 "Jump up")** Koebler, Jason (October 8, 2024). ["Hurricane Helene and the 'Fuck It' Era of AI-Generated Slop"](https://www.404media.co/hurricane-helene-and-the-fuck-it-era-of-ai-generated-slop/). _404 Media_. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
16.  **[^](#cite_ref-16 "Jump up")** Warzel, Charlie (October 10, 2024). ["I'M RUNNING OUT OF WAYS TO EXPLAIN HOW BAD THIS IS"](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/10/hurricane-milton-conspiracies-misinformation/680221/). _The Atlantic_. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
17.  **[^](#cite_ref-17 "Jump up")** Currie, Richard (28 February 2024). ["Willy Wonka event leaves bitter taste with artificially sweetened promises"](https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/28/wonka_ai_hellhole/). _The Register_. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
18.  **[^](#cite_ref-18 "Jump up")** Murphy, Chris (29 February 2024). [""Willy's Chocolate Experience" Nightmare: What Went Wrong?"](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/willys-chocolate-experience-nightmare-what-went-wrong). _Vanity Fair_. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
19.  **[^](#cite_ref-19 "Jump up")** Davis, Barney (1 November 2024). ["Chaos in Dublin as thousands turn up for AI 'hoax' Halloween parade that didn't exist"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dublin-fake-halloween-parade-ireland-ai-advert-b2639505.html). _The Independent_. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
20.  ^ [Jump up to: _**a**_](#cite_ref-NYT-2024b_20-0) [_**b**_](#cite_ref-NYT-2024b_20-1) ["All Trick, No Treat: Dublin Crowds Turn Up for Halloween Parade That Wasn't"](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/01/world/europe/fake-halloween-parade-dublin.html). _The New York Times_. November 1, 2024.
21.  **[^](#cite_ref-21 "Jump up")** Fleck, Holly (2 November 2024). ["Dublin: Halloween parade listing 'mistake' says website owner"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czd5319pz2ro). _BBC News_. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
22.  **[^](#cite_ref-22 "Jump up")** O'Shea, Kerry (31 October 2024). ["All trick no treat - "Hoax" Halloween parade draws big crowds to Dublin's O'Connell St"](https://www.irishcentral.com/news/dublin-halloween-parade). _IrishCentral.com_. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
23.  **[^](#cite_ref-Wired_23-0 "Jump up")** Knibbs, Kate. ["The Guy Behind the Fake AI Halloween Parade Listing Says You've Got It All Wrong"](https://www.wired.com/story/ai-halloween-parade-listing-dublin-interview/). _Wired_. [ISSN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISSN_\(identifier\) "ISSN (identifier)") [1059-1028](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1059-1028). Retrieved 2024-11-03.

-   [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/16px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg) The dictionary definition of [_slop_](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/slop "wiktionary:slop") at Wiktionary

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