February 18, 2026
Comment-section cage match
What is happening to writing?: Claude Code and the negative space around AI
Readers love AI ‘slop,’ writers panic, and crypto-level hype sparks a comment brawl
TLDR: Breen says AI-polished “slop” is popular and could sideline human writing, while embodied jobs feel safe. The comments explode: one side declares human-only prose dead; the other calls it crypto-style hype, with privacy folks demanding on-device AI. This matters because it reshapes how we read, learn, and trust content.
Benjamin Breen’s reflection on AI-written “slop” going mega-viral (84M views on X) hit a nerve, and the comments lit up like a reality show reunion. Breen admits machine-polished prose is wildly popular, even as it threatens the kind of human writing that once opened doors for him. Cue the community split.
One camp is blunt: human-only writing is over. They argue the average reader can’t spot real originality, and comfort-food content wins—think familiar phrasing, cheerful tone, endless stats. The “AI slop” meme morphed into a junk food vs fine dining debate, with some defending tools like Claude Code as a legit way to learn the “shape” of coding and even writing. Breen’s nod to AI-proof work (plumbers, professors, surf instructors) got laughs, but also a sobering point: in-person, embodied craft still matters.
The other camp slammed the whole thing as crypto-style hype with “FOMO” (fear of missing out) vibes. One commenter compared the viral essay to 2017 coin sermons, while another said AI isn’t the cause of “post-truth”—it’s just Axios-style condensed news on steroids. Privacy hawks chimed in too, pushing “local-first” (on your device) AI so your data isn’t siphoned away. Verdict? The crowd can’t agree whether we’re eating trash or just discovering a new cuisine—but everyone’s talking.
Key Points
- •A recent essay about AI’s impact on knowledge work went viral on X, reaching approximately 84 million views.
- •The author argues that AI-generated, polished prose is widely consumed and influencing reader preferences.
- •Breen’s past role editing a New York labor lawyer’s drafts is contrasted with AI tools now capable of transcription and legal formatting.
- •He states that historical research relies on non-digitized archives and embodied knowledge, making it more resistant to AI replacement.
- •Claude Sonnet 4.6 is cited as particularly effective at computer-based tasks, emphasizing automation of desk-bound work.