It's Not AI Slop, You're Just Biased

Summary

The essay argues that although a large amount of AI-generated work is genuinely low quality, people sometimes decide that something is “AI slop” before assessing it. The author identifies several possible biases: people may feel threatened when AI performs work tied to their identity or career; they may mistake visual or stylistic similarity for proof of poor quality; and they may assume that work made quickly with AI is inferior because effort and time are associated with craftsmanship. The author also says that people mainly notice bad AI outputs, while well-used AI often becomes invisible because it simply reads, looks, or functions like competent work. Early AI successes and widely shared examples may have raised expectations so high that ordinary work now seems disappointing. The essay does not dismiss criticism of AI slop, but recommends checking these biases first and calling work slop only when it remains poor after closer evaluation.