From shrimp Jesus to erotic tractors: how viral AI slop took over the internet
Flood of unreality is an endpoint of algorithm-driven internet and product of an economy dependent on a few top tech firms In the algorithm-driven economy of 2025, one man’s shrimp Jesus is another man’s side hustle.AI slop – the low-quality, surreal content flooding social media platforms, designed to farm views – is a phenomenon, some would say the phenomenon of the 2024 and 2025 internet.Merriam-Webster’s word of the year this year is “slop”, referring exclusively to the internet variety.It came about shortly after the advent of popular large language models, such as ChatGPT and Dall-E, which democratised content creation and enabled vast swathes of internet denizens to create images and videos that resembled – to varying degrees – the creations of professionals.In 2024, it began to achieve peak cultural moments.
Notable among these was shrimp Jesus, a viral trend in which Facebook was briefly flooded with AI-generated images of the deity fused with crustaceans.Shrimp Jesus was quickly followed by hallmarks of the AI slop genre: videos of old women claiming to celebrate their 122nd birthday, and mini soap operas about the dramatic lives of cats.In 2025, the flood continued, growing more uncanny and more explicitly copyright-violating.This spring saw the advent of Ghiblification – that is, a trend in which users from Nayib Bukele to the White House rendered images, including of deportations, in the style of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli.This particular moment was enabled by OpenAI’s release of an image generator powered by GPT-4o; Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive, jumped on the trend by Ghiblifying his X profile and writing the rather remarkable post:>be me>grind for a decade trying to help make superintelligence to cure cancer or whatever>mostly no one cares for first 7.
5 years, then for 2,5 years everyone hates you for everything>wake up one day to hundreds of messages: "look i made you into a twink ghibli style haha"Miyazaki, the chief architect of Studio Ghibli’s distinctive, hand-drawn animation style, has elsewhere said, on the subject of artificial intelligence: “I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all,I strongly feel this is an insult to life itself,”Other AI slop moments followed: a spate of videos of AI-generated obese people participating in the Olympics, pressure cookers exploding, more cats,Ibrahim Traoré, the leader of the military junta in Burkina Faso, became the centrepiece of an AI slop cult featuring videos of Justin Bieber singing on the streets of Ouagadougou.
In some ways, AI slop has improved,Gone – mostly – are the days of six-fingered hands and missing limbs that characterised the output of early image generators,In some ways, though, AI slop has hardly changed at all,It is still uncanny and contextless, still aimed directly at the amygdala, still chasing virality by virtue of having the lowest barriers to entry imaginable: no plot, no exposition, surreal imagery and cats, cats, cats,Describing this flood of unreality as solely a technological phenomenon misses one of the main drivers of AI slop.
In one view it is the endpoint of an algorithmically determined internet optimised for engagement and turbocharged with new, powerful tools.It won’t change as long as the platforms and their algorithms don’t.But it is also the product of an underlying global economy – one that is everywhere, increasingly dependent on a few powerful technology companies and a few powerful platforms, one which appears to offer dwindling returns for real work, but lavish fortunes for the lucky, viral few.AI slop creator is, after all, a profession.They come from everywhere – from the US to India to Kenya to Ukraine.
In some ways, it can be argued that AI tools have enabled a strange globalisation of content, says Arsenii Alenichev, who studies the production of images in global health.Earlier this year, Alenichev noticed a flood of “AI poverty porn” on major stock photo sites.Many of the creators of the images, he said, appeared to have eastern European usernames.“I wouldn’t be surprised if these are just artists that are trying to generate extreme images of everything, hoping that someone would buy them,” he said.Making it in AI slop isn’t easy.
Oleksandr, an AI YouTube creator based in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, estimates that only the top 5% of creators ever monetise a video, and only 1% make a living from it.Oleksandr began his business in 2024, after retiring from being a professional volleyball player.He was deep in debt, he said, and at a low point in his life: his girlfriend had left him, his parents were living in occupied Mariupol.He started to join Telegram channels and watch YouTube videos on how to make money from YouTube.His first efforts were music channels, playing AI-generated music over images of sexy AI girls.
He had seven: retrowave, rock, jazz and more,At first he put a great deal of effort into each video, he said, but he realised quickly that that didn’t matter on YouTube,“It was a conveyor belt, with fairly low quality,”His videos got attention, standing out from hundreds of other similar channels, even to the point where a Japanese film-maker contacted him to license one of his pieces for a short movie,Then he expanded.
At the high point of his business, he had a team of 15 people operating 930 channels, 270 of which he successfully monetised.They cleared up to $20,000 (£15,000) a month at one point, although YouTube often blocked or took down his channels – including the sexy AI girls – for unclear reasons.His content evolved.One fruitful niche he found was life stories – long anecdotes written by ChatGPT or Gemini, overlaid with visuals, which were extremely popular: “Grandparents listen to it before bed, or while walking in the park.”Another niche, he said, was videos on “vulgar adult themes” – such as erotic tractors – which were in great demand, but bordering on what YouTube allows.
These channels were riskier to produce, but at times were easier to monetise, because they had less competition,With “erotic ones it’s easier, because they are blocked more often, so not many people want to bother and periodically recreate channels”, he said,“I saw the opportunity, and other people saw the difficulty,”Now, the work has shrunk somewhat: YouTube has become more aggressive with its takedowns of content, meaning he has to recreate channels,He and his team now take in closer to $3,000.
But Oleksandr credits the platform – and the videos he watched – with changing his life, allowing him to resolve his debts and build a career he (somewhat) loves.It is not a site for artistic aspirations, though.A fair amount of the work involves adding nearly naked AI women to videos of tractors.“To make money here, you need to spend as little as possible,” he said.“YouTube is basically just clickbait and sexualisation, no matter how morally sad it is.
Such is the world and the consumer.”A YouTube spokesperson said: “Generative AI is a tool, and like any tool it can be used to make both high- and low-quality content.We remain focused on connecting our users with high-quality content, regardless of how it was made.All content uploaded to YouTube must comply with our community guidelines, and if we find that content violates a policy, we remove it.”
‘Many over-hyped London restaurants left me cold’: Grace Dent’s best restaurants of 2025 | Grace Dent on restaurants
For reasons that may already be apparent, and that are currently playing on BBC One, I have spent much of 2025 watching people cook scallops and souffles in a windowless television location unit in Digbeth, Birmingham. MasterChef, despite being one of the most exhilarating jobs a girl can do, sucked up most of my waking hours this year, and made my free time extra-precious. So the very best restaurants I found this year – those with zinging hospitality and heart-thumpingly good food – became equally extra-crucial.I’m talking about the likes of Tropea in Harborne, just down the road from the TV studio, and where I’ve spent a fair few Saturdays eating butternut squash arancini, fresh tagliolini and whopping great deep-fried salted cannoli. Over in Bristol, meanwhile, two absolute gems revealed themselves on the very same trip: Ragù and Lapin, both in Wapping Wharf and both in repurposed shipping containers, but entirely different creatures
Countdown to 2026 – a New Year’s Eve menu
When it comes to throwing parties, the world falls into two quite distinct camps: those who love to do so, and those who would rather do almost anything else. Getting organised early is key, and finding a few delicious recipes to start the proceedings will amuse your guests while you try to keep the show on the road.These spicy, citrussy snacks by Thomasina Miers go perfectly with the pink grapefruit mocktails belowA delicious festive starter that can be adapted to serve with a sweet topping for the kidsThese drinks are a refreshing alternative to booze, but also make a delicious mixer for a tequila or gin-based cocktailHome-infused gin for a special festive martini for gifting or serving at partiesBask in the glory of this spread by Honey & Co – no one will ever suspect how little effort was involvedIn Benjamina Ebuehi’s dessert, puddles of spiced cranberry sauce are baked into the chocolate frangipane for a pairing that puts any surfeit of cranberries to good use
The joy of leftovers – what to cook in the calm after Christmas
At this time of year, I like to stay home, shut off from the world and do as little as possible for as long as possible. Eat all the food, embrace all the leftovers and be creative with whatever’s in the kitchen. After the big day, I like to turn leftovers into some sort of pie: they’re forgiving and malleable and work with whatever you have hanging about. This leftovers pie from Tom Hunt and this turkey and ham pie from Felicity Cloake are great places to start. You could absolutely make your own pastry, as Tom does, or use shop-bought if you want to keep things as simple as possible (I always store a few rolls of pastry in the fridge over Christmas for precisely this reason)
Helen Goh’s recipe for an espresso martini pavlova bar | The sweet spot
Your favourite cocktail is now a DIY pavlova party! Pile crisp coffee meringues high with espresso cream, boozy cherries, a drizzle of whisky caramel and a flicker of edible gold leaf, then shake, spoon and sparkle your way into the New Year. A few tips: arrange the toppings in glass bowls or on tiered trays for a beautiful display, add labels for fun and, if it’s sitting out for a while, keep the whipped cream chilled on ice.Prep 10 min Cook 1 hr 40 min Makes 24 meringuesFor the meringues (make up to 3 days ahead) 140g egg whites (from about 4 large eggs)220g caster sugar 2 tsp instant coffee powder dissolved in 1 tsp hot water1 tsp cornflour ½ tsp white vinegar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 pinch fine sea salt Cocoa powder Edible gold leaf (optional)For the espresso brandy cherries (make up to 3 days ahead)400g frozen black cherries 60g light brown sugar 60ml black coffee A pinch of sea salt 2 tbsp brandy, or coffee liqueur (Kahlúa, Tia Maria or similar)½ tsp vanilla extractFor the whisky caramel (make up to 3 days ahead)300g caster sugar 60ml water 150ml double cream 50ml whiskyFor the espresso mascarpone cream (make on the day) 300ml double cream 150g mascarpone 2 tsp coffee grounds 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp cinnamonTo make the meringues, heat the oven to 150C (130C fan)/300F/gas 2 and line two large oven trays with baking paper. In a clean bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites on medium-high to soft peaks. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, whisking until thick, glossy peaks form and the sugar dissolves – test by rubbing a bit of the meringue mix between your fingers: it should feel smooth
How to turn an excess of herbs into a showstopping sauce for just about anything – recipe | Waste not
This make-ahead, easy green sauce is suitable for to almost any main dish and a great way to use up hang-about herbs Whenever I want to cook something special, my first thought is always salsa verde, and Christmas is no exception. This vibrant sauce is so forgiving and endlessly versatile – a last-minute showstopper that can be whipped up with a few store-cupboard ingredients and some herbs. It’s normally made with parsley, garlic, capers, anchovy fillets, olive oil and vinegar, but as long as the end result is green and saucy, I’m generally more than happy. Finely chop whatever herbs you have to hand – I used rosemary, sage, lemon verbena and nasturtiumsfrom the garden.Green sauce is a forgiving, adaptable recipe, and a great way to use an excess of herbs or leafy greens and their stalks
Scottish whisky market slides into supply glut amid falling sales and US tariffs
The Scottish whisky market has slipped into a supply glut as US tariffs and falling demand weigh on the country’s distilleries.Global scotch sales fell 3% in the first half of 2025, marking the third consecutive year of decline after decades of growth, according to the alcohol data provider IWSR.Distilleries have been grappling with uncertainty around Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, as well as declining rates of alcohol consumption.While Keir Starmer secured a trade deal with Trump in May, whisky imports from the UK into the US are still subject to a 10% tariff. The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has estimated that it costs the sector £4m a week
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