“Why my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my savior and my God.” Psalm 42:5 NIV

Each year I eagerly await the revealing of the Word of the Year declared by Merriam-Webster, the trusted and true experts of the English language. As an English teacher and self-proclaimed lover of words, I was horrified to learn that the word of the year is nothing more than waste substance for pigs.  This is not hyperbole, the Merriam-Webster Word of the Year is…Drumroll please…

Slop, yes, the coveted word of the year is Slop. Regretfully I capitalize the word, but it is the Word of the Year. 

My grandfather was a pig farmer and slop with its negative connotation suggests the smelly, unappetizing, waste concoctions that are used to fatten piggies sold to market.  I have nothing against pigs; in fact, I find them kind of cute. Remember the movie Babe about the little pig with the sweet voice and who doesn’t love Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web? However, the reality is that pigs are not the purest of creatures and their diet is dare I say, revolting?

According to Merriam-Webster the word “Slop” was chosen to describe the plethora of AI induced ridiculousness that flashes upon our screens. In other words, our screens are inundated with “Slop,” and we exhausted, bored, overstimulated consumers gobble up the fodder and all its repulsiveness, then wonder why we feel depressed, and inadequate.

While some may find this Word of the Year humorous or simply shrug it off as “just how things are now,” the slippery slope that society is skating upon is concerning. In fact, as I type this essay, AI keeps recommending that I change the word slop to slope.

Some will argue that the advancements in “Slop technology” will free up our time and ability to get more done. AI can do it all for us, type in your guidelines and your product comes out “poof” …like magic. What’s the harm right?  AI is revolutionary, it’s easy, it’s fun, it frees up your day.

Recently, a student turned in a paper that she obviously had not written. The vocabulary was stellar, the ideas first rate, however I know this student’s writing and work.  This was not her work.   I questioned her about the piece.  She denied that she had used AI, however when I asked her to handwrite the response on paper, she asked me how to spell the simple word chores.

In the classroom, the importance of creative thinking, word choice and the utilization of figurative language for deeper meaning and interest is at the helm of my teaching. My inexperienced 6^th graders buy into this for now, however I fear that soon, the easier, faster way of working with artificial intelligence will be at the forefront of their minds. Why think, if the machine will do the thinking for you? 

This news, this “Slop technology,” is not surprising to our Heavenly Father who remains sovereign.  Christ followers know the glorious Truth.  Our hope is not in this world or technological advances that lure consumers to acquire and utilize them.  Our only hope is our omnipresent, omniscient Savior and complete surrender to His will.  Through daily prayer and scripture, worship, and community with other Christ followers we ask our Heavenly Father for wisdom as we navigate these days with our young people.

Heavenly Father, our hearts are heavy when we consider the challenges that our youth battle with technology and especially artificial intelligence. LORD provide us with your great wisdom to guide our young people along the paths that they should walk.  In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen