The rise of AI slop: from Shrimp Jesus to digital pollution
Let’s talk about Shrimp Jesus, shall we?
No, it’s not the latest Marvel movie (although now I’d quite like to see that). It’s the bizarre AI-generated image that’s been making waves on Facebook and elsewhere, featuring the eponymous deity with a distinctly crustacean twist. If you haven’t seen it yet, just imagine Jesus with the body of a shrimp. Yeah, it’s as bonkers as it sounds.
Now, you might be thinking, “What’s the harm in a bit of fishy fun?” Well, buckle up, because my answer is “Pretty much everything.” and we’re about to dive into the murky waters of ‘AI slop’ and how our insatiable appetite for these digital oddities might be cooking up a perfect storm for our planet.
The narrative I’m seeing on LinkedIn needs a serious reality check. We’ve slipped into old habits, with everyone banging on about how AI is going to destroy the planet. Newsflash: AI won’t destroy the planet; the way humans use AI will.
And right now, a lot of humans are using AI to create what’s being called ‘AI slop’. It’s the new buzzword for all that low-quality, unwanted, or downright deceptive content that people are using AI to churn out faster than a Wetherspoons prawn cocktail. Think of it as the new digital equivalent of email spam – you know, that stuff that’s been clogging up our email inboxes since the dawn of the internet. I know you’ve seen AI slop, because it’s everywhere. It’s even on LinkedIn, which is becoming increasingly… well, let’s just say it’s not exactly the place it used to be.
But back to our aquatic lord and saviour, Shrimp Jesus.
If you haven’t heard about this peculiar phenomenon, I highly recommend you give ‘The Artificial Human‘ podcast with Aleks Krotoski and Kevin Fong on BBC Sounds a listen. There’s an episode titled ‘Will Shrimp Jesus kill social media?‘ Spoiler alert: I’d argue yes, almost definitely. But let’s be honest – social media has been on life support for years already.
The hidden environmental cost of digital nonsense
But never mind killing social media; AI slop could also be the nail in the coffin for the planet. Consider this: creating the Shrimp Jesus image will have used a fair bit of energy and water. A quick search tells me that creating just one AI image with a tool like Midjourney uses:
- as much energy as charging a smartphone
- between 500ml and 1L of water
- and generates 1.9g CO2e emissions
But that’s just the tip of the (rapidly-melting) iceberg. Consider this: thousands of AI-generated images are being created every single day, consuming vast amounts of energy and water while generating significant CO2e emissions. And it doesn’t end there…
When these AI creations are unleashed into the digital wild, each view, like, and comment they receive adds to the environmental toll. We’re not just talking about the emissions from the interactions themselves, but also the raw power consumption of countless computers and mobile devices used to view and engage with this content.
It’s a digital snowball effect, with each share and scroll contributing to an ever-growing carbon footprint. What starts as a single AI-generated image can quickly balloon into a global energy-guzzling phenomenon, leaving a trail of emissions in its wake.
Beyond the laughs: why AI slop matters
I can already hear some of you saying, “Come on, how bad can a few memes really be compared to, say, the airline industry or factory farming?” It’s a totally fair question. But here’s the thing: it’s not just a few memes. We’re talking about millions of AI-generated images being viewed billions of times. It’s death by a thousand cuts – or in this case, death by a billion pixels. And, unlike many other sources of emissions, this is a relatively new phenomenon that’s growing exponentially. If left unchecked, it could become a significant contributor to our carbon footprint before we even realise it. (Reality check: this is already happening.)
So, herein lies the real problem… Shrimp Jesus is just ONE example out of millions of AI slop. We’ve replaced cat memes with AI-generated nonsense, and we’re frying the planet in the process.
But let me be crystal clear: AI is not the problem.
AI is an incredible technology with the power to transform our world into something truly amazing. (If you’re not up to speed on this, or don’t believe me, do yourself a favour and do some research. It’s fascinating. And I’ll be blogging more about it here, and you can also follow me on LinkedIn and subscribe to Pathwai – link in footer.)
The problem is, of course, us.
It’s always us.
From consumers to conscious users: what we can do
We need to decide to use AI for positive outcomes.
Unfortunately, at the moment, it’s being used to make crustacean deities and other ‘funny’ creations. We could make a new version of that well-known shareholder meme – you know the one. It would go something like this: “Yes the planet got destroyed. But for a beautiful moment in time we created some hilarious AI images like Shrimp Jesus.”
So, here’s my question to you: Are we really going to let Shrimp Jesus and his AI slop mates be the death of social media and potentially the entire planet? Or are we going to wise up and start using AI for something a lot more meaningful than creating bizarre biblical-seafood mashups?
So, what can we do? Here are a few ideas:
- Be more mindful of the AI content we create and share. Ask yourself: Is this really worth the environmental cost?
- Support and use AI and wider digital technologies that prioritise energy efficiency. (Like low-carbon website design.)
- Advocate for transparency from AI companies about their environmental impact.
- Encourage the use of AI for solving environmental problems rather than creating digital clutter.
Remember, every click, every share, every use of generative AI has an impact.
Together, let’s make sure it’s a positive one.