Stop the Slop

One of the reasons why I've been spending more and more time offline has been due to seeing so much generative AI infiltrate the creative space. I won't necessarily repeat my previous Thoughts on AI blog post where much of what I shared in 2023 still holds true today regarding ethics, discipline, and discernment. Little has changed for me as I continue to refrain from utilizing these tools and instead rely on my own visual and written abilities, flaws and all. However, the difference between its emergence a few years ago and now is astounding where over half of what we see online is generated by artificial intelligence (source: Over 50 Percent of the Internet Is Now AI Slop, New Data Finds).

I'm not one for fear-mongering or sensationalism; however, I am concerned for the effects this may have on my short-term enjoyment of the Internet and my long-term walk as a disciple of Christ and my cognitive skills.

First, I have found it difficult to enjoy being online when a lot of content is no longer real. I want to support authentic creators rather than being pushed images, music, and more that is based on deep learning models. I acknowledge that I've fallen for some of it, and that has fueled further discontent when finding out after the fact. The reality is that as much as I already want to practice discernment when it comes to authentic content, it is exhausting to continually be on guard. Slop will increasingly become more sophisticated over time—as it already has been—and I fear that the misinformation and disinformation I see may extend to worse consequences beyond merely consuming it.

One example that comes to mind is that over Christmas, I ended up listening to a lot of instrumental hymns set to the Bible. Unfortunately, one of these videos was AI-generated and the Scripture selection clearly did not involve a Christian (or a human) as it displayed the following verse during a song: "Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him" (Matthew 26:49). My husband and I had a good chuckle at the time because this is certainly not an inspirational verse, but it had me wondering what would happen if either a new Christian or an unbeliever were to come across something like this and not realize that this was a moment of betrayal leading to the events of the crucifixion of Jesus as opposed to a feel-good quote (most people know who Judas is but we can't take biblical literacy for granted). It's a minor example but a signal that the Holy Spirit dwells within people, not machines.

Beyond this example where I try to curb my consumption of AI media in the first place, what has disenchanted me more on platforms like Instagram has been seeing people indiscriminately and needlessly using AI for entertainment purposes. Whether it's participating in trends or using it to enhance imagery, I question whether the moral and environmental impacts are worth these things that are a mere blip in the moment. I recognize that some people may have legitimate reasons for using it, so I want to be careful that I'm not condemning all usage of it just because that's my personal conviction, but I am mindful that there is a cost incurred. It's a caution that just because something is available doesn't mean it's good.

Second, as a Christian, I want to preserve superfluous forms of outsourcing my thinking beyond tools that make life efficient. This is such a fine line because agentic AI has been beneficial and has been with us for a long time (Clippy!) whereas generative AI is largely unexplored where we aren't even aware of all of its capabilities and ramifications. If you'd like to learn more about the differences between the two, I've found this article from IBM to be helpful, though I acknowledge there may be some grey areas between the two. Why this distinction matters to me is because I consider it such a gift that God has imparted us with the ability to reason, discern, and create. When we offload the parts of us that are created in the image of God, I fear that we lose the essence of what makes us unique among all His creation.

An example of this is that I participated in a study a while ago where—unbeknownst to me until after I joined the study—the digital copy of the book was uploaded to a generative AI site with the facilitator asking the site to compile a list of study questions based on the text. Apart from copyright violations, consent issues, and other ethical concerns, I was rather disappointed that a computer was leading our discussions rather than a human, so to speak. I'm sure arguments could be made that this saved time or that the questions could be tailored based on further prompts; however, how much was lost in this practice? What happens when all study questions for books are no longer written by authors? What can readers trust when interacting with books? Is it worth it?

The more I see coming from generative AI, the less I'm impressed with it. If agentic AI can be used to save lives because of its role in healthcare or other fields, that's one thing where I give credit to automation as a way to streamline necessary activities (I'm not a Luddite and can see how progress and innovation are the outputs of the minds that God has given us to be able to advance in technology). But creating funny memes, enhancing pictures of ourselves, or taking work away from graphic designers? I have such a hard time with this when I am called to be a steward of God's creation and I care about the livelihoods of others.

While I'm just one person at the end of the day and that slop will continue to exist whether I partake of it or not, I'm doing my best to distance myself from things that don't align with my convictions. If I don't seem to be interacting with as much online content as I have in the past, this is one of the reasons why. On the flip side, this means that I am also doing everything I can to support the authors and artists who are putting out genuine content. I want to celebrate human ingenuity and I love that the first person to be filled with the Holy Spirit was an artist, which is such a special honour from God. What a gift to be His image-bearers!

Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.- Exodus 31:1-5

This is why I am doing what I can to stop the slop in my life because the costs are not worth it and imago Dei cannot be lost.