Businesses are battling what feels like a rampant digital infestation. AI slop, a broad term for the endless flood of shoddy, algorithmically generated material, has spread to nearly every corner of the internet. Publishers are facing a deluge of rip-off books and fabricated reviews. Trusted online resources for everyday answers are being inundated with the dubious wisdom of AI. And—as if that wasn’t bad enough—fake bands are infiltrating playlists.
Worse still, some slop has become practically indistinguishable from reality, making it difficult to trust anything online. People are navigating the internet as weary detectives, constantly trying to decipher what is real and what is fake. Over half (53%) of consumers distrust AI-generated search results and summaries, a 2025 survey by Gartner found. And most people (70%) are uncomfortable with AI-generated media, a separate global survey by the management consultancy Baringo reported.
