I opened my RSS reader this morning and watched fifty “new” posts pour in. Different author names, same vibe. Three paragraphs of fluff, an obvious stock photo, and a tidy list of tips I have seen a dozen times already. You can almost hear the prompt behind it: “Write a 700‑word article about X with five actionable takeaways.” Hello, AI slop.
Cheap language models have turned content into fast food. Publishers can spin up a thousand articles overnight, each one technically correct on keywords but nutritionally void. Search engines still reward the volume, so the cycle keeps spinning.
Independent blogging pays the price. Writers who used to craft a thoughtful essay every fortnight now feel like they need to drop daily hot takes just to stay visible. Some try to keep up and water down their work. Others just bail.
Readers sense it. They skim the first two paragraphs, realise it’s reheated leftovers, and bounce. Brands notice too when the traffic numbers look big but conversions tank. People can smell empty calories.
There is a bright side though. Real voice suddenly stands out. If you share a story only you could tell, or data you actually gathered, it feels like a glass of cold water in a desert of filler. Publishing less but saying something worth reading might be the new advantage. Authenticity costs more time, but it is the one edge we still have over the bots.