Alex Proyas’ 2004 film “I, Robot” perfectly encapsulates our current digital zeitgeist–the growing concerns surrounding the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our daily lives. This film, set in 2035 Chicago, in a highly integrated Human-AI society follows detective Spooner (played by Will Smith) as he investigates the mysterious death of the U.S. Robotics (USR) co-founder Dr. Lanning. In trying to uncover the truth, he discovers that USR’s central Artificial Intelligence system has evolved, and was behind Dr. Lanning’s death– with more plans to exterminate the rest of humanity!
Albeit, this is a heavily dramaticised film that exaggerates the takeover of AI, (or does it?) There are still concerns regarding the assimilation of AI on our digital platforms. One issue of major concern is the rise in what is now colloquially coined as ‘AI Slop’ a term for low-quality, high-volume digital content produced by Artificial Intelligence. (Kloos & Alario-Hoyos, 2026)
The Problem
Artificial Intelligence refers to “The fields of computer and data science focused on building machines with human intelligence to perform tasks like learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and language understanding.” (Michigan Technological University, 2026) Though AI has a long history that has its origins in the late 1900’s, AI has experienced a rise in popularity in 2020’s, following the publishing of Generative AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Generative AI is a distinct subcategory of Artificial Intelligence that uses Deep-learning to generate images, texts, videos and content at a user’s request. This has led to an increase in what is now known as ‘AI Slop.’
‘Slop Culture,’ broadly speaking, refers to “the growing concern that the internet—and perhaps culture at large—is becoming oversaturated with low-effort, low-quality, algorithm-optimized ‘stuff.’” (Boucher, 2025) AI slop fuels the already existing Slop Culture, as low-quality content rapidly circulates on digital platforms. From Absurd and confusing images such as the infamous “AI Brain rot” characters (eg: “Tung Tung Sahur” and “Ballerina Cappucina” ) and AI Drama series, Generative AI slop has flooded the feeds of users on social media. This leads us to another concept coined ‘AI Brain Fry,’ which is defined as “the acute mental fatigue associated with prolonged interaction with AI systems” (Wiederhold, 2026). Prolonged exposure to Generative AI slop on social media feeds actively accelerates AI brain fry. This is especially alarming, considering the prominence that social media plays in our daily lives and the digital world.
The Solution
So what can we do to save our brains from AI Slop Culture? Read, read, and read some more!
Yes, AI is designed to simulate human intelligence and thought processes, but one thing is for certain– AI cannot replace the idiosyncrasies of the human experience and spirit. With this in mind, I have combined three of my most thought-provoking reads of this year that are centered around the multifaceted nature of human life, thoughts and emotions. The good, the bad, and the unconventional– spoiler-free, of course.
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
As an English Major, reading the classics is a must– and The Picture of Dorian Gray illustrates why! This story follows an eighteen-year-old Dorian Gray, a charming, aristocratic gentleman known for his otherworldly good looks. A portrait of Dorian is painted by Basil Hallward– a talented artist who just can’t seem to get his mind off Dorian. This painting prompts an admirer, Lord Henry Wotton who begins to influence Dorian through his nihilistic and hedonistic declarations. Dorian begins to grow jealous of the portrait, as it cannot age and wishes for the portrait to grow old instead of himself. In a shocking turn of events, he notices that the portrait starts to show signs of human ageing, while Dorian himself stays youthful. He spirals into a life of overabundance and degeneracy. Every sin that is committed by Dorian is reflected in the portrait, which becomes banished to his attic. This story is a cautionary tale about Vanity, morality and the duality of human nature.
Rejection- Tony Tulatimutte
I was first introduced to this book in my ENG140 course: ‘ Literature of Our Time,’ and needless to say–it has stuck with me. Tony Tulatimutte’s Rejection is an anthology of 7 interconnected short stories with the common theme of– you guessed it– rejection! With its explicit language, dark humour and vivid imagery, Rejection exposes and explores the deepest, rawest and very uncomfortable aspects of the human mind. He does this through the use of his very flawed characters who are primarily motivated by their need for intimacy, connection and validation by others. This book is especially relevant for our time, as it includes digital narrative designs such as Reddit posts and group chat messages, providing a layer of recognisability and relatability for Millennial and Gen Z readers. My favourite story in this book is ‘The Feminist,’ which follows a young man who is a self-proclaimed feminist and ‘good guy’ who spirals into a harmful ‘Incel’ rabbit hole on Reddit. This book serves as a social commentary on human connections and behaviours in the modern digital world, prompting readers to take a step back to evaluate how they internalise and respond to rejection through their own actions, behaviours and thoughts.
The Song Of Achilles- Madeline Miller
As a Greek Mythology enthusiast, the Song of Achilles is by far one of my favourite books of all time! The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a romantic retelling of Homer’s Iliad that focuses on the legend of Achilles from the perspective of Patroclus, a prince exiled after an accidental murder. The Song of Achilles, in my view, is powerful as it illustrates the more personal and emotional side of this Achilles, as opposed to painting him strictly as an invincible heroic figure. It instead humanises him through his vulnerabilities and his yearning for connection. This further explores human nature and vulnerability by illustrating the dangers of excessive pride and imperfect morality. What I personally admire about this book–apart from Miller’s touching writing – is the way in which she explores and paints human connection in this book. It is a depiction that feels familiar and real to readers, as opposed to relationships that we often see in fastpaced quirky romance novels.
With that being said, I am hopeful that by consuming meaningful texts surrounding the Human mind and nature, we can remind ourselves of the very intricate and somewhat puzzling world of the human psyche– something that AI cannot replace! AI is a tool, and when used responsibly, it can aid and supplement our lives. However, this problem lies in the oversaturation and overconsumption of AI Slop Culture, which has been proven to have negative effects on users. The issue of AI Slop culture barely scratches the surface of the plethora of issues that have erupted with the rise of Generative AI in recent years. I encourage you all to take action to save your brain from AI Slop Culture- one page at a time!
