It’s likely that you have heard people complaining about AI slop recently. It’s a particularly loud critique in creative circles. But you know who else creates slop? Humans.
We’ve all seen it: the ad campaign that missed the mark, the boring email no one read, the logo that more closely resembles… well, you get the idea. Humans are more than capable of producing slop, and regularly do.
We tend to extend grace to humans, but expect machines to be perfect. AI should nail the copy every time, right? After all, it has access to infinite information and “perfect” intelligence. The hard truth is, AI is good most of the time.
Computers may be efficient, but they tend to be cold and impersonal. Their perfection becomes boring, and their lack of human experience seeps through, even when you can’t quite put your finger on it. Humans, on the other hand, may be imperfect, but we bring warmth, heart and curiosity—things AI simply doesn’t possess. The real magic happens when humans and machines work together.
As Zack Kass (former Head of GTM at OpenAI) puts it: “AI forces us to be more human.”
AI can’t feel love, wonder or curiosity. It can only mimic the human experience. And as humans, we are very good at sensing when something isn’t genuine and authentic.
So (as I add to the endless narrative on AI) here are my three rules of thumb for using AI to avoid producing slop.
1. Don’t outsource original thought
Everyone has access to ChatGPT. No one needs their LinkedIn feed filled with recycled, AI-generated opinions. What people do care about is individual perspective, ideas shaped by lived experience.
AI should help refine how you say something, not what you think. Just like spellcheck was a breakthrough for those of us who can’t spell, AI is a powerful tool—as long as it stays the tool and doesn’t replace the tradie.
2. Don’t lose your tone of voice
People are starting to sound suspiciously the same, and it would be a tragedy to lose individual voice. Just as great musicians have unmistakable styles, every person has a unique tone of voice. That uniqueness keeps the world interesting. Same is boring.
You won’t sound like the influencer with the huge following—and that’s a good thing. They’re already doing that. Let them be them. You be you.
3. Don’t lose your sense of wonder
We’ve all met the person who “knows everything”, or at least thinks they do. They’re rarely the most enjoyable company. Far more interesting are people who live with a sense of wonder: curious, open, genuinely interested in learning and experiencing new things.
AI knows all the information. It isn’t surprised by it. It doesn’t marvel at discovery.
One of my favourite things about parenting young children is watching their sense of wonder. They stop to pick wildflowers growing through cracks in the path. They get excited about seeing the moon in the daytime. They notice the things we’ve long stopped noticing.
Writing is far more enjoyable when it comes from curiosity and wonder, rather than obligation. Live with a sense of wonder and let that show through your work.
AI will continue to change how we work and the world of work more broadly. But let’s embrace what makes us human. Let’s infuse heart, warmth and curiosity into everything we create.
Let’s keep the work interesting.
