Ben Congdon writes that AI generated content, which he calls “AI slop,” has become increasingly difficult to identify. In a detailed blog post on his personal website, Congdon describes how he developed an involuntary reflex for spotting AI-written text. He notes that while early GPT-3 content was easily detectable, recent AI outputs have become significantly more sophisticated and harder to distinguish from human writing.
The author observes a widespread presence of AI-generated content across social media platforms, particularly on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Reddit. He defines “slop” as content that is mostly or completely AI-generated but presented as human-written, regardless of its quality.
Congdon emphasizes that while using AI tools to assist with writing can be acceptable, publishing unedited AI output under one’s name raises ethical concerns. He also highlights emerging businesses that automate social media interactions using AI, potentially contributing to what some call the “dead internet theory.”
The article discusses the growing importance of maintaining authentic human voices in writing, with some prominent writers advocating for creating distinct writing styles that can influence future AI models. Congdon suggests using RSS feeds and curated content sources to avoid AI-generated content, while maintaining transparency about AI usage in one’s own writing.