Have you heard the phrase ‘”AI Slop”?

By Sue Papadoulis, CEO of Profile Media

“AI Slop (also known as “slop”) def: low-quality, high-volume digital content (text, images, or videos) generated by AI, often, often created without effort, to fill social media.

The word “slop” was named ‘word of the year’ in 2025 by dictionary Merriam-Webster and the American Dialect Society.

If you haven’t yet heard about it, you have experienced it – on social media. In fact, according to research by AI company Kapwing, 20% of content shown to a freshly opened You Tube account is now low-quality AI video.

AI Slop on LinkedIn

In recent times, AI Slop has been finding its way onto LinkedIn, the social platform favoured among business-to-business corporations, large and small.

LinkedIn’s Australian head, Matt Tindale recently told the Australian Financial Review that the platform had seen a spike in AI slop, and as a result has changed its algorithm to elevate knowledge-sharing posts and ‘cut back the crap’.

AI Slop – Can You Spot It?

I recently asked a roomful of business owners if they felt they could pick AI generated content and the answer was a resounding ‘yes’. Dead give aways included the frequent use of the extended em dash, an annoyingly cheery tone, and overuse of dot points and emojis.

I also asked the group, if this was a turn off. Overwhelmingly the group agreed they quickly scanned posts they believed to have been written by AI and didn’t engage further.

Consumer Backlash

Not only are platforms like LinkedIn changing algorithms to ensure human-created posts are shown more frequently, but there is a backlash among users taking place too.

Under many viral AI videos, it's now common to see a flurry of comments decrying the content as fake or AI created.

Users are becoming so frustrated by the deluge of AI Slop that some platforms like Pinterest have introduced a new opt-out system for AI-generated content.

The Demand for Unique Content by CEOs

The rise of AI Slop on LinkedIn in particular, has no doubt been fuelled by the rapid increase of CEOs using the platform to post personally, rather than allowing the company page to speak on their behalf.

Mr Tindale said LinkedIn has seen a 52 per cent increase in posts from CEOs, thanks largely to the growing expectation for leaders to demonstrate authenticity. More than 80 per cent of ASX 100 CEOs now use LinkedIn to lead conversations and connect directly with audiences.

The Need for CEOs to Post on LinkedIn

Posting on social media as the head of a corporation remains a relatively new experience for many CEOs, who in the past have opted against voicing personal opinions.

The increase in demand by consumers to know more about the companies they buy from, and specifically what the CEO of the company believes in or values, has driven this new expectation.

The great irony of using AI to appear more authentic and accessible is obvious and brutal. If AI is doing the talking, your credibility isn’t in the room.

Outsourcing Content – Yes, It’s Possible

The solution isn’t to avoid help, it’s to avoid outsourcing your thinking.

CEOs don’t need to write every word themselves, but the ideas, opinions and insights must come from you as the source - the leader who actually holds the experience and knowledge.

Using a third party is not only acceptable, it’s smart. The key is ensuring the content is shaped from your real perspective, not generated from a prompt.

That’s where working with former journalists makes all the difference: we know how to extract your thinking, capture your voice, and translate it into credible, nuanced content that lands with impact, without ever slipping into AI slop.

For ideas on how we can turn your original insights into engaging LinkedIn content and media articles, get in touch – info@profilemedia.com.au