Slop: The internet's wasteland

From ‘shrimp Jesus’ to a lungi-dancing Vecna, the ballooning AI slop phenomenon has grown to more than just empty hilarity

- SREYA DEB

VOICING A PERTINENT concern for the present day, Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube, acknowledged in his annual letter published last month, that"the lines between technology and creativity are blurring" In the same letter he problematised ‘AI slop’ saying it is a priority for YouTube in 2026 to monitor and regulate slop content — a new word (recognised by Merriam-Webster as the word of the year for 2025), and a new concept that the digital world is currently witnessing.

Mohan also mentions that this year YouTube will also be introducing new AI features to allow creators to use their likeness in the content they create. An AI-coded conundrum and contradiction all rolled into one — not only YouTube, but other social media sites are also facing an outpouring of AI slop, or low-quality AI generated content, and are garnering views and followers as well. A Kapwing research released in Novem-