Friday - Reflections on Eliminating AI Slop — And Rebuilding Human Edge

Friday - Reflections on Eliminating AI Slop — And Rebuilding Human Edge

We are operating in the most accelerated professional era in history.

AI drafts our emails.
Builds our slide decks.
Summarizes research.
Generates strategy outlines in seconds.

Productivity has never been higher.

And yet, something quieter — and more dangerous — is happening beneath the surface.

The work is getting faster.

But it’s not always getting sharper.

I call this phenomenon AI slop.

What Is AI Slop?

AI slop isn’t simply “bad AI writing.”

It is the gradual erosion of:

  • Original thinking

  • Strategic courage

  • Intellectual ownership

  • Deep focus

  • Executive judgment

AI slop happens when AI shifts from being a tool that enhances thinking to a substitute for thinking.

It shows up when:

  • Strategy documents sound polished but indistinguishable from competitors

  • Leaders approve outputs they didn’t meaningfully shape

  • Teams edit AI drafts instead of generating ideas

  • Content feels competent but emotionally neutral

  • Speed becomes the primary metric of value

AI slop is frictionless.

And friction is often where insight lives.

How It Creeps In

AI slop rarely arrives dramatically.

It enters in phases:

  1. We use AI to speed up small tasks.

  2. We begin drafting larger deliverables with it.

  3. We accept strong first drafts without deeper interrogation.

  4. We lose the habit of wrestling with ambiguity.

Over time, cognitive muscle weakens.

And here’s the strategic problem:

AI optimizes for probability.

Leadership requires discernment.

AI predicts what is most likely.

Executives must decide what is most necessary.

Why AI Slop Is an Executive Risk

At senior levels, AI slop creates three core risks:

1. Strategic Convergence

If every organization uses similar models trained on similar data, differentiation shrinks. Strategy becomes industry-average thinking at machine speed.

2. Decision Atrophy

When leaders consistently accept AI-generated recommendations without structured critique, their evaluative depth declines. Judgment becomes reactive rather than rigorous.

3. Cultural Flattening

Innovation weakens when teams rely on algorithmic scaffolding. Brainstorms become prompt sessions. Editing replaces ideation.

AI does not destroy intelligence.

It erodes intentionality.

The Hidden Trade-Off: Efficiency vs. Meaning

AI excels at compression and synthesis.

But it does not:

  • Carry lived experience

  • Feel reputational risk

  • Navigate moral nuance

  • Sit with tension

Meaning is forged through cognitive strain — the uncomfortable space where competing ideas wrestle.

When we bypass that entirely, we often bypass originality.

The danger isn’t that AI writes poorly.

The danger is that it writes smoothly enough to prevent deeper thinking.

How to Eliminate AI Slop

Eliminating AI slop does not require rejecting AI.

It requires governing it.

Here is a disciplined framework:

1. Originate Before You Automate

Before prompting AI, articulate:

  • Your thesis

  • Your position

  • Your point of view

  • Your risk tolerance

AI should refine your thinking — not replace its formation.

2. Install a Human Judgment Checkpoint

Every strategic document should go through a deliberate review where you ask:

  • What feels generic?

  • What lacks courage?

  • What sounds interchangeable?

  • Where is the distinct perspective?

If it reads smoothly but leaves no imprint, it needs depth.

3. Protect Analog Thinking

Digital tools accelerate execution.

Analog tools protect cognition.

This is why I advocate structured analog resets — handwritten planning, whiteboard sessions, device-free strategy blocks.

Thinking slows just enough to sharpen.

Which brings me to something important.

Rebuilding Cognitive Strength: The JustMyself Journals

If AI slop erodes originality, then intentional reflection rebuilds it.

Through Just Myself LLC, I developed the JustMyself Journals specifically to counter digital over-fragmentation.

They are not productivity planners.

They are cognitive training tools.

Each journal is structured to:

  • Force thesis articulation before action

  • Guide 90-day strategic planning cycles

  • Encourage handwritten clarity over reactive typing

  • Integrate breath regulation and reflection prompts

  • Create daily focus sprint commitments

The act of writing by hand activates different neural pathways than typing. It slows thought just enough to deepen synthesis.

When leaders tell me they feel mentally scattered, unfocused, or overly dependent on digital prompts, the first intervention I suggest is simple:

Return to paper.

Being analog is not anti-AI.

It is pro-judgment.

The JustMyself Journals are designed to rebuild that muscle — one focused page at a time.

A 7-Day AI Slop Reset

If you suspect AI slop is creeping into your workflow, try this:

For seven days:

  1. Draft core ideas without AI first.

  2. Complete one 90-minute deep work block daily.

  3. Conduct one device-free meeting.

  4. Write your daily priorities by hand.

  5. Use AI only after forming a clear thesis.

Discipline beats willpower.

And structure beats intention.

The Future Belongs to Disciplined Thinkers

AI is not going away.

It will become faster. Smarter. More embedded.

But the competitive advantage will shift.

It will belong to leaders who can:

  • Integrate automation

  • Maintain authorship

  • Protect deep focus

  • Exercise independent judgment

In an era of infinite content, the rarest asset will not be productivity.

It will be clarity.

And clarity requires training.

AI can assist execution.

But excellence still requires you.

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