Ask Lemmy

I call it slop when it was generated by AI and not carefully reviewed (and probably tweaked) by a human that understands the output.

Code written not by a software developer? Slop.

Code written by a software developer that just shipped it without understanding it? Slop.

Code written by a software developer that went through subsequent review, testing, and adjustment? “AI-assisted”, maybe?

Replace code with any other industry and the same principle applies.

I generally equate slop with human laziness, even though the actual “quality” of the slop still varies.

anything made with AI, specially if it's undisclosed. i give an exception for AI narration (text to speech AI) but i still don't like it if it's not disclosed as AI generated, i'd rather hear a person.

AI slop is the output of all generative AI, full stop.

Slop itself is anything produced for the sake of being produced. Something without feeling or soul, just more content for the content machine.

Like, yes it does take some level of skill to "prompt engineer" the AI and get it to show you the thing you want, but it's still not a distinctive style, it's still not your style. If you say, "sloth astronaut" I can imagine that in my head in my own way, there's no value in producing an AI image. As far as I'm concerned, an AI image narrows down all the possibilities of my own imagination into the specific piece of slop from the slop machine. If I wanted to see it, the point would be to see an interpretation in someone's style.

I can't remember where I saw this argument recently, it was something coming out of Capcom saying they'd use AI for background details and people citing specific examples from Pragmata maybe? Things like vending machines and environmental details that could be streamlined with the help of AI. But even these small details are places for environmental artists to shine. Show off their skills, hide small details and world building, and little in jokes. It may not be much but it adds to the overall texture and flavor of the product. It does matter.

AI is slop, is slop, is slop. There's absolutely no reforming it and if I detect even a whiff of it, I'm out.

Paying $15,000.00 for an internet connected math calculator that may, or may not, give you the correct answer. Where a $20.00 math calculator is right every single time, and needs no connectivity.

something made with "ai" that's shitty enough to make me notice and cringe

Yeah. Basically ai has made things easy enough to do crappily that a lot of crap is created. People who would have to think for a while and spend time writing a paragraph can get one written from a one sentence prompt. they can create a story from a paragpraph. similarly if they had no art talent they might try some stuff but even to make a crappy thing it would take time and effort. Honestly like I got sick of memes because they are low effort so I stay away from them. That was because photoshop made it easy to make these simple little cartoon type things. ai creations are like that. someone using llms in their work is no different from using google search when they work on something but if someone took the first link from the first search and copy and pasted it like it was some great thing it would be quite annoying.

content made with AI that is low effort.

That's the funny part. It's all low effort!

If it does something helpful to me at low risk and doesn't soften my skills, then it's just another tool. If some trys to sell me or give me AI content, then I can't trust them and they are the enemy.

I have less hate for AI than the general population of Lemmy but I'm certainly not a fan.

To me, AI slop is a random schmuck typing in "make an image of two people laughing together" and then takes the first result (riddled with errors) and posts it to their blog, article, or social media to supplement whatever story they are telling or point they are trying to make.

If the image has purpose, or a good concept, then I might give it some credit. If they creator has a great idea or joke, and they do not have the ability to draw it themselves, I'm not opposed to them using AI to help create their vision.

For example, my dad really enjoyed Far Side comics and often he would come up with his own, but he can't draw, so he would just have to explain to us what the picture would look like and what the caption would be. If he used AI to create these visions of his, It's probably the only way that he could share his jokes with the world. And it's not like he's taking money from an artist who needs work, because he'd never pay to have them professionally created. If he can't share them, they will die with him.

If it's a tool to help you effectively tell your story, I'm ok with it. But if you're just cranking out fake doorbell videos and implying they are real, for hits on social, GTFO.

Content (images, audio, text...) generated by GenAI. It's slop not quality-wise, but because it's mass-produced (as opposed to artisanal creations).

Not all slop is AI-generated, though - we had mass-produced content before GenAI, too. GenAI is just turning it up to eleven.

Slop is anything made by people who don't know what they are doing and why anyone would want it. The people who necessitate laws that "chocolate" products need to contain X% amount of cocoa. Because to them it is "brown fatty thing" so they add brown to fat and ask someone to make a compelling packaging.

These people believe generative AI works because they can't tell. If you gave them hot mud and called it coffee, they would think it was coffee.

People who can tell butter from lard, do not think generative AI works at all.

So yeah genAI can only make slop. Some people believe it is useful and I hate them.

I think the word 'slop' has really been overused at this point. It's dead to me.

AI slop is AI + slop.

Slop is low effort garbage with zero quality assurance put into it.

AI slop is content geared toward metrics in an algorithm. AI is helpless and must produce content averaged out by the metrics of whatever company designed the thing. But humans are perfectly capable of producing slop.

For example, a director working for Apple wanted to nerd out on the opening sequence to pay tribute to an obscure movie he liked. Apple said no. Their data showed that audiences needed to be captivated in the first 30seconds or they'd switch off. So how about a drone-shot over a European city with a song that cost a fortune to licence, and with a voice over explaining everything? All the slop, none of the AI.

Trivago ads

If it's something a semi skilled person can see is incorrect then it is slop.

An incorrect number of appendages is the simplest one.

Fruit A.I.sland

When it is in any way (as of now, mostly linguistically, visually or audibly) obvious that the creation of a certain piece of content was automatized and there is subjectively perceivable noise in the content and the content is presented to a wider audience by an entity that is more or less influential and the vast majority of its recipients seemingly consume the noise-riddled content with more or less satisfaction without apparent afterthought or meditation on the lack of factual or artistic authenticity, integrity and craftsmanship. Noise, here, is the subjectively perceivable shortcomings of the content, such as unintended repetitiveness, disfiguration, distortion, simplification, loss of detail and resolution and the likes. This is slop and this is degeneration.