A field guide to AI positions

AI slop

Critical label.

Publication dates and source age

Sources counted: 1

Publication dates are unavailable.

Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

Some publication dates are unknown; the newest dated source may not be the newest source overall.

Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

Open in the glossary Reading notes · Structured record

Prepared with AI assistance. Not independently fact-checked. Original sources and qualifications are below.

In plain language

A dismissive label for low-quality AI-generated content, often produced in large amounts. [1]

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Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-ai-slop-1a5192ba3d7825ca26b24a72. Edition 0.20.0.

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Limits & distinctions

Use the label carefully: it is not a technical test for whether a particular piece was made with AI, or evidence that all AI-assisted work is poor. [1]

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Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-ai-slop-09422ce4d5c74cb753a9bb98. Edition 0.20.0.

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A fuller explanation

Merriam-Webster's 2025 selection describes the term through examples such as poor-quality videos, images and writing. The word expresses a judgment about the content's quality. [1]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-ai-slop-1e4c26398ee834b2e16dc7b8. Edition 0.20.0.

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How it relates to the map

Criticizing unwanted content does not by itself state a position on AI catastrophe or frontier development. [1]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Editorial interpretation or qualification. Claim ID: claim-term-ai-slop-25f52a21ad9f2e54a62ed1b2. Edition 0.20.0.

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https://theaiatlas.org/ideas/ai-slop/

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Sources and what we read

  1. 1. 2025 Word of the Year: Slop

    Merriam-Webster · First-hand source · Published date unavailable · Material last read 2026-09-15

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Publication dates are unavailable.

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Some publication dates are unknown; the newest dated source may not be the newest source overall.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read scope is described in the source note.

    No archive check recorded.

    Read the dictionary publisher's definition and examples in its 2025 selection. The year identifies the selection; an exact article publication date was not established. Used for language usage, not a quality finding about particular content.

    Source ID: merriam-webster-slop

Edition and machine-readable evidence

Content version 0.20.0. Evidence cutoff 2026-09-15; this does not mean every source was read on that day.

Pinned complete dataset · Complete evidence page · Agent consumption guide