Merriam-Webster declared “slop” its 2025 word of the year on Monday, a sign of growing wariness around artificial intelligence.
Slop is now defined as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence,” according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. The word has previously been used primarily to connote a “product of little value” or “food waste fed to animals”
Mainstream social networks saw a flood of AI-generated content, including what 404 Media described as a “video of a bizarre creature turning into a spider, turning into a nightmare giraffe inside of a busy mall,” that the publication reported had been viewed more than 362 million times on Meta apps.
In September, Meta launched Vibes, a separate feed for AI-generated videos. Days later, OpenAI released its Sora app. Those services, along with TikTok, YouTube and others, are increasingly rife with AI slop, which can often generate revenue with enough engagement.
Spotify said in September that it had to remove over 75 million AI-generated, “spammy tracks” from its service, and roll out formal policies to protect artists from AI impersonation and deception. The streaming company faced widespread criticism after The Velvet Sundown racked up 1 million monthly listeners on without initially making it clear they produced their songs with generative AI. The artist later clarified on its bio page that it’s a “synthetic music project.”
