Merriam-Webster has settled on a word that represents 2025 - and that word is "slop." The dictionary-maker defines "slop" as "digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence," something that many people have become familiar with as AI-generated content permeates the internet. This year, some of the most popular sites on the web took steps to stave off the infestation of AI slop, including YouTube, Wikipedia, Spotify, and Pinterest.
The worry, even among marketers, is that these tools aren't ushering in a new creative renaissance - they're accelerating a race to the bottom. Volume over value. Engagement over a meaning. A feed full of something that looks like content but isn't saying much at all.
AI is fantastic! The possibilities are limitless! A true revolution! And its biggest achievement might be to push digital back to being an addition to our lives, instead of the very centre of them. Wait, what?! No! YES, but don't panic. Ads have always been there and always will be. This is not a declaration of the end of anything.
Marketers today aren't short on tools or content - they're drowning in both. Fragmented stacks, manual processes and an overwhelming tide of generic AI output have created more chaos than clarity. The costs are steep: wasted budgets, diluted brands and campaigns that fail to connect. The answer isn't more tools, but orchestration. Moving from chaos to cohesion means unifying strategy, workflows and measurement so AI becomes an accelerant - not a liability.