“Slop”: what a beautiful word the internet has come up with. Apparently, the etymology of “slop” is pretty obscure, but it has two main roots: one meaning “slime/garbage/shit,” the other referring to early ready-made clothing or stuff. Is there a better word for the amorphous, prefab mass-production of media now flowing out of AI? You can think of LLMs as a primeval slime of human culture. From slop to slop we return. I love the amorphous visual elements in the early AI aesthetic, and I’ll always associate that formlessness with primeval slop. ( Infinite Images by @hollyherndon and @matdryhurst ) - - - - - Etymology 1/ c. 1400, "mudhole, puddle," probably from Old English -sloppe "dung" (in plant name cusloppe, literally "cow dung"), related to slyppe "slime" 2/ late 14c., "loose outer garment" (early 14c. in a surname, sclopmongere), of obscure etymology, perhaps from Old English oferslop "surplice." The sense was extended generally to "clothing, ready-made clothing" (1660s), usually in plural slops, also a nickname for a tailor. Hence, also, slop-shop "shop where ready-made clothes are sold" (1723).