We’ve all heard about Clankers, but what about Sloppers?
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### What is a “Slopper”?
“A friend of mine has coined the term sloppers,” TikToker @intrnetbf announced in one of the first-ever uses of the word. “For people who are using ChatGPT to do everything for them. I think that’s amazing. That’s incredible verbiage. Slopper. That’s such a good slur, bro. Slopper!”
@intrnetbf gave a shoutout to Monica for the incredible command over the English language.
The problem isn’t necessarily using ChatGPT to double-check something or ask a question — it’s using it to replace your actual brain.
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### How Does This Work in Practice?
One example can be seen in a comedy sketch by TikTok user Harris Alterman. The amusing clip depicts a man entering a grocery store. As the clerk greets him, the man immediately panics, whipping out his phone to ask ChatGPT what he should say back.
The pendulum then swings the other way: the clerk also starts to fervently type to ChatGPT, asking, “What do I say back?”
A back-and-forth then takes place, where the clerk and customer have an entire proxy conversation through their respective ChatGPTs, consulting on what to say for each interaction.
Things soon escalate to show the glaring errors that encompass ChatGPT. The customer asks where “companionship” can be found in the store, equating asking where a colleague is with human trafficking. Following ChatGPT’s advice, the customer then calls the police.
But here’s the kicker: the policeman is using ChatGPT, too. Finally, they all hit their ChatGPT apps simultaneously, which makes them all combust—not literally, of course, but figuratively.
Fortunately, we aren’t quite at this stage just yet, but not gonna lie, we’re getting close.
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### Chatfishing: The Dating World’s Slopper Dilemma
In the dating world, another Slopper-esque term that’s emerged is “chatfishing.” This involves the age-old question: are we actually speaking to a real person on a dating app, or just their AI proxy?
In a Guardian article, one woman described having deep, colorful conversations with a man on an app, discussing everything from attachment styles to trauma—and, of course, memes. But when she met the man in real life, he fell short of her expectations. This was hardly surprising once it was revealed that she hadn’t actually been speaking to him at all.
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### Social Media Reacts
Online, people have shared their enthusiasm for the “clanker” terminology and offered plenty of their own creative suggestions.
– “A truly remarkable contribution to the modern English language,” one said.
– “We need this in Urban Dictionary stat,” another commenter agreed.
– Others pledged to adopt these phrases immediately. One wrote, “immediately using this,” while another exclaimed, “‘BOUT TO BE SCREAMING THIS IN THE STREETS.”
Some favorite suggestions included:
– “Chat NPC”
– “Botlicker”
– “Second-hand thinker”
One TikTok comment read: “I just heard someone describe a tech bro as ‘ChadGPT.’” Another added: “Someone dismissively called ChatGPT their boss’s ‘creativity surrogate’ and I’m still laughing.”
A science fiction fan contributed, “From Dune, ‘Unthinker’ is a good one. Because when they try to correct it to ‘Non-thinker’ because ‘Un’ is clunky subject-verb-esque, you ask if they checked with ChatGPT first to be sure.”
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### Final Thoughts
The dating scene is just one example of where being a Slopper can lead you. But the crux of it is this: being overly reliant on AI isn’t just incredibly lame and brain-rotting — it can actually make your life materially worse.
So, while AI can be an amazing tool, don’t forget to keep that human brain switched on. After all, some things are better said with a little authentic thought.
https://www.dailydot.com/culture/what-is-a-slopper-chatfishing-ai/