Researchers Warn of ‘Workslop,’ Low-Quality AI Output Flooding Workplaces

[cryptohog]

A new term coined by BetterUp Labs and Stanford’s Social Media Lab is gaining traction in the workplace: “workslop.”

Writing in the Harvard Business Review, researchers define workslop as “AI-generated work content that masquerades as good work, but lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task.” They argue that this low-quality output may explain why 95% of organizations experimenting with AI report no measurable return on investment.

“Workslop shifts the burden downstream, requiring the receiver to interpret, correct, or redo the work,” the authors warn. In an ongoing survey of 1,150 full-time U.S. employees, 40% said they had received AI-generated workslop in the past month.

The researchers recommend that leaders model “thoughtful AI use with purpose and intention” and establish clear guardrails for acceptable AI practices in their teams.

[kelson10]

“Workslop” is a perfect term—AI content that looks fine but adds no real value.

[jacson4]

It’s a good reminder that not all AI-generated output counts as quality work.