Spam, junk … slop? The latest wave of AI behind the ‘zombie internet’

Slop, the term for low-quality AI-generated material published on the web, is spreading across search, social media and book retail, and the article argues its economics are hard to stop. Simon Willison, a developer and early proponent of the term, says naming the problem helps people recognise that publishing unreviewed AI content is bad behaviour. The article cites an AI-generated Microsoft Travel piece that listed the "Ottawa food bank" as a must-see attraction, and Amazon foraging books that contained dangerous mushroom advice. It also reports that Google announced AI-made answers at the top of some search results, with US users first to get the full rollout.