2026 Is the Year of “AI Slop”

Artificial intelligence has officially crossed from novelty into nuisance. In 2026, generative AI has become deeply embedded in culture as corporations invest in less authentic content. In favor of content that is faster, cheaper, and easier to scale. The result is a flood of what many critics have come to call “AI slop.” From museums to media to political misinformation, AI is actively eroding human-centered industries and vital information sharing. 

A Museum Exhibit at San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Museums and cultural institutions are meant to preserve, elevate, and contextualize human expression. That mission is increasingly undermined when public exhibition space is handed over to generative tools. The SFO Museum’s “Women of Afrofuturism” exhibit is a collection of generative art that “explores the Black experience.” The art itself was not created by a Black artist, but rather a computer prompted to do so. 

An AI-Powered Recording Artist 

The rise of AI-powered “artists” like Xania Monet exposes the hollowness at the center of AI creativity. In 2025, Monet made history by signing a multimillion-dollar record deal with Hallwood Media. The AI artist has since made Billboard charts and gained a substantial following across social channels. Criticism of Monet centers on the spaces and opportunities that she has taken from actual recording artists. Especially BIPOC artists who are already underrepresented on the charts and in recording studios. 

A Video of “Happy Crying” Venezuelans After Maduro’s Kidnapping

“AI slop” has also been used in recent years as a powerful amplifier of propaganda. A viral AI-generated video claiming to show Venezuelans celebrating after the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro spread rapidly online. The video is entirely artificial and used as a tool to warp public perception of a highly controversial political scandal. Generative AI allows misinformation to be produced at scale, weaponizing emotional responses and stripping away accountability. 

Nonconsensual AI-powered Deepfakes

As if online spaces were not already dangerous enough, AI-generated images are violating personal privacy in new, and terrifying ways. Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) has an integrated AI chatbot, named Grok, that is generating nonconsensual nude images of women and girls. When users prompt Grok to undress a specific user or person, the chatbot provides an explicit image. This is happening thousands of times every hour on the platform.

Equinox’s Clever Commentary on AI

In a refreshing use of ad space, Equinox’s New Year’s campaign was a commentary on the use of AI to distort body image. The ad featured a dramatic generative image of a physique next to a real “ordinary” person. The ad features text that says “Question Everything But Yourself.” The creative concept is a critique of AI-imagery in the health and wellness world. The synthetic aesthetics created by generative content have negative repercussions for conversations around body image and “ideal” health goals. 

A recent study shows that almost 25% percent of the videos fed to accounts on YouTube are AI-generated. Artificial content has overwhelmed our systems and degraded human-centered industries. The spread of “AI slop” reflects a cultural economy that values speed over substance and scale over soul. If this trajectory continues, the question won’t be whether AI can make art, media, or meaning; it will be whether humans are still being invited to do so at all.

Have you seen AI-generated art in your daily life?

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