06/16/2026
We spent 2025 watching it happen in real time. “Slop” didn’t become the word of the year for nothing.
Now in 2026, it’s just… the internet.
AI raised the floor for everyone and, in doing so, made average output completely indefensible.
The content looks the same. The emails read the same. The ads feel the same.
Everything is drifting toward the median.
Everything is merging. When everyone has access to the same tools producing the same baseline quality, “good enough” stops being a differentiator.
And that’s the real shift. Not AI taking your job.
AI making mediocrity look like effort.