The AI slop problem

Last year, I went solo — aka I lost my job, couldn’t imagine subjecting myself to another corporate gig — and so I decided to go all-in on myself, weeks before the US Presidential Election.

Since committing to freelance, every one of my clients has, in some way, expected me to engage with AI in some way. If I’m consulting, I should get them equipped with the latest AI tools, or if I’m doing content creation, I should be using AI to churn out more of it, faster.

And of course they would, at least from where I’m standing. We’re consuming more content than ever before — uploading over 500 videos a minute to YouTube alone. We’ve come a long way, from hatching an exciting new income stream for silly 20-somethings in the early aughts to a nonstop news cycle unlocking literally hundreds of new ways for brands big and small to advertise. With such an oversaturated social media landscape, how else are you supposed to get your business noticed than playing the game of Content is King on Merciless difficulty, deploying every bot and tool necessary to make it to the top of the pile and harness the attention of the masses…right?

But, hey. You and I both know that something’s got to give here. I’m not the only one who catches herself reaching for her phone first thing in the morning, or bathing in screenlight doomscrolling late at night. At this point, the final frontier for attention harvesting is sleep itself.

If you’re already using AI to help you with your work, or even just AI-curious, I don’t blame you. Not in this economy! Let’s approach the topic with a little nuance.

Are there ethical ways to utilize AI when marketing your spiritual wellness business?

If you’ve made any content to market your work, you probably have at least an idea by now of how much effort you’re willing to put in. Some people love the content game and are raring to earn their audience; others would rather focus on their work and leave the marketing bits to someone (or something) else. If you can’t stand posting and just want to get on with it but are unable or unwilling to hire a creator, you’ve probably at least considered AI.