Merriam-Webster’s word of the year delivers a dismissive verdict on junk AI content

Merriam-Webster named "slop" its 2025 Word of the Year, defining it as low-quality digital content mass-produced by artificial intelligence that now floods social media and search results. The dictionary selected the term after tracking a surge in searches, reflecting growing public awareness of encountering fake or shoddy AI-generated content online. This follows other AI-related dictionary selections like Cambridge's 2023 choice of "hallucinate" for AI misinformation, highlighting how artificial intelligence is reshaping language and digital culture.