"Merriam-Webster named "slop" its 2025 word of the year, defining it as "digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence." In its announcement, Merriam-Webster noted that, like " slime, sludge, and muck, slop has the wet sound of something you don't want to touch." Similarly, The New York Times observed that slop, in graphic terms, "conjures images of heaps of unappetizing food being shoveled into troughs.""
"Slop is an umbrella term that encompasses a vast range of terrible AI-generated content, from videos to news stories to ads to books to work reports. It can look real enough, but often seems just a bit off (and sometimes jarringly so). And it tends to feel (or even be) cheap, derivative, or recycled. These qualities of slop can leave us feeling cold, disengaged, and anxious. As such, Merriam-Webster's choice reflects a deeper psychological crisis about how AI-generated content is reshaping our emotional landscape."
Merriam-Webster designated "slop" as the 2025 word of the year, defining it as AI-produced digital content of low quality and large quantity. Slop spans videos, news stories, ads, books, and work reports that can appear realistic but often feel slightly off, cheap, derivative, or recycled. These qualities provoke feelings of coldness, disengagement, unease, and anxiety, and contribute to a feedback loop of surreality, paranoia, and doom. Persistent exposure to slop can elevate anxiety and shape emotional responses. AI policy should integrate psychological research on emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal effects to address these harms.
Read at Psychology Today
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