Merriam-Webster crowns “slop” word of the year as AI content floods Internet

In a striking statement about the impact of generative AI, Merriam-Webster has revealed that 'slop' will be its Word of the Year for 2025. This decision underscores the growing concern over the proliferation of low-quality, AI-generated content that has inundated social media, search engines, and the broader internet. Defined by the dictionary as 'digital content of low quality produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence,' the term has emerged as a colloquial way to describe the subpar material flooding online platforms. Greg Barlow, president of Merriam-Webster, emphasized the significance of the term, stating, 'It’s such an illustrative word. It represents a transformative technology in AI, which many find fascinating, annoying, and a bit absurd.' The selection of the Word of the Year involves analyzing data on the rising search volume and usage of various terms before reaching a consensus on one that encapsulates the year's essence. Barlow noted that the increase in searches for 'slop' highlights a growing public awareness of encountering fake or low-quality content online. This isn't the first time AI's influence on language has been recognized. Earlier this year, Cambridge Dictionary named 'hallucinate' as its Word of the Year, reflecting the phenomenon of AI producing misleading yet convincing information. Alongside these choices, Oxford University Press selected 'rage bait' for content designed to incite anger and engagement, while Cambridge Dictionary opted for 'parasocial,' referring to one-sided relationships formed between fans and influencers. Tracing its origins back to the 1700s, 'slop' initially referred to soft mud. By the 1800s, it had come to denote food scraps for pigs and eventually evolved into a term for worthless items. The recent AI-related definition builds on this history, encapsulating the notion of unwanted and unpleasant digital output.