4 Tips To Help Avoid Buying Awful AI Slop Gifts This Holiday Season

You've probably heard about AI slop taking over the internet, and you've likely seen plenty examples of it yourself. The term describes media and content churned out with artificial intelligence tools, but it isn't limited to software. As the holidays approach, you're almost definitely going to see cheap gifts popping up online that are advertised, described, and possibly even created entirely with AI. And if you don't want to support the flood of products that had next to no human imagination involved, you'll want to follow these tips for avoiding AI slop gifts when shopping.

This article isn't specifically about products focused on artificial intelligence. Mainstream tech brands have been integrating AI into their products throughout the past few years, and it can actually be pretty difficult to steer clear of AI on new flagship mobile phones. Instead, we're focusing on items that had practically no human ingenuity or creativity behind them. These are the types of gifts that are only good to give if the person you're giving them to doesn't care about quality or longevity. Sure, they might surprise you in how well-made they actually are, but someone staunchly against the modern AI landscape still wouldn't want to touch them with a 10-foot pole.

Simple items like advent calendars and novelty coins aren't exactly difficult for machines to reproduce. If you happen to find a cheap, simplistic gift online, look into its seller's listings and see just how many different versions of one item they're offering. Chances are, if you see multiple examples of that same product, they've likely been churned out by artificial intelligence. The more examples you find, the less confident you'll be that you're getting a gift that's actually worth giving.

You might also find some telltale signs of AI generation in these listings, like different items being positioned in the exact same way in the same environment. In these cases, you aren't even getting a real image of what's being sold, which can result in a bait-and-switch. If you purchase one of those products, there's no guarantee that you'll end up with the exact item you paid for. Unique items aren't exempt from this possibility, but someone selling hundreds of AI-generated advent calendars probably isn't putting much effort into sending the right ones to their buyers.

The convenience of online shopping is a double-edged sword. Although it's become easy to find countless products, it's also become easy for sellers to dump items onto marketplaces without caring about quality. This is made worse by the risks of using AI shopping assistants, which have been deeply integrated into storefronts on the internet. If you have physical access to a major storefront like Walmart, Best Buy, or Target, the solution is simple: Just take a trip there and pick up what you're looking for.

Even though the online versions of these stores have AI integration, you obviously won't have to worry about that when shopping there in person. And as of 2026, those major retailers haven't allowed cheap AI-generated trash to overrun their shelves (at least, not yet). A lot of work goes into vetting the products that you get to physically see inside stores. Granted, that might not mean you're guaranteed to get a gift that your friends and family will love, but you won't have to worry nearly as much about anything made with AI.

There are risks when using AI agents to help you shop online — and those risks are compounded if you start giving them sensitive information. However, even if Google AI tools can help you find nice holiday gifts, it's a fool's errand to use them in an effort to avoid more AI-generated products. These tools aren't going to discern whether an online listing has real-life images, a human-written description, or even real reviews. Even if they can, it isn't exactly in any AI's best interest to tell you to avoid those listings.

Even if you try to fight fire with fire, the ways AI detectors work don't make them entirely accurate. They might be able to help you pinpoint products with generated images and descriptions, but they can also make mistakes with fully human-made items. Human can make the same mistakes — but if they know what to look for, they're also going to be much more scrutinizing against those AI-made red flags. In short, if your friends and family are already staunchly against AI, it's not wise to rely on AI to point you towards new gifts to get for them.

To avoid AI slop gifts, the most important rule is to know what they look like. We've shared details on how to tell if artists are selling AI art before, and there are some other red flags you'll have to watch out for on that front. For example, if you see a T-shirt or coffee mug with a fun design that lacks an artist's name and isn't from a major brand, that artwork was probably generated (or made from clip art, which isn't a much better result).

Even known companies can end up using generated artwork in their product images or advertisements for items like computer monitors. These items might end up being actually high-quality, but knowing the telltale signs will still keep you vigilant in your search for good gifts. If you have a friend or family member who can easily catch the signs of AI, there's no shame in asking them for help.

If you want to rely on your own eyes, look for low-resolution images, smudged details, misspelled text, yellow tints, or questionable art styles. Check out the descriptions and be wary of overuse of emojis and disconnected, overly-praiseworthy talking points. Also, take a look at the product's default video, as that might be AI-generated as well — regardless of how real the people in it might look. If the video keeps cutting between scenes every few seconds, or if the movement seems unnatural, you might not be watching actual people using the product.