Why it’s time to take a stand against ‘AI slop’ and ‘word froth’

As I spotted City AM had declared war on ‘AI slop’, I let out a spontaneous cheer.  

Anna Moloney, City AM’s Deputy Comment Features Editor, was so fed-up with being sent a 600-word promised op-ed written entirely by AI she felt motivated to write it herself. 

As a former news editor who regularly stared down the barrel of an impending deadline, I understand the need for quick copy to fill that gaping page lead and appease the increasingly impatient editor. 

But Anna hit the nail on the head with this killer sentence, which read: “I'd actually far rather receive actual sloppy copy that I, per my job, can edit than another 600 words of grammatically perfect word froth.”  

Opinion pieces are about conveying an individual voice in a punchy and personality-packed style - but AI chatbots reduce it to polished powderpuff. 

The sub-ed should also take a bow for the eye-catching image of a notepad alongside the message: ‘There should have been an op-ed here but you filed AI slop’. 

Journalists drowning in AI-written pitches is sadly all-too common across the land, but I hope this acts as another reminder to the PR industry about the irreversible damage it does to relationships with journalists. 

Years of trust between a PR and journalist can evaporate quicker than you can say ‘ChatGPT’. 

At Democracy we pride ourselves on expertly written op-eds based on interviews with clients’ experts to showcase their insight, expertise and tone of voice to connect a spokesperson and brand with the right audience. 

We landed Dr Catherine Carney, a psychiatrist at Delamere addiction rehab clinic, a piece on LBC about the downsides of Dry January, while Eisberg’s wine expert, Dan Harwood, revealed his industry expertise on the impact of a proposed pre-flight booze ban in Drinks Business. 

With more than 50 years of newsroom experience at Democracy, Anna is preaching to the choir. It’s time to unite to stop the slop before op-eds turn to plop.