# Sloppy thinking

> A definition for the reflex that dismisses AI-assisted work out of hand, and a badge to download, print and cut out for labelling it.

25 October 2026

There is a name for low-effort AI work: slop. There ought to be one for low-effort criticism of it, too.

## The definition

**Sloppy thinking** (noun): The habit of treating AI-assisted work as inherently inferior, ignoring the ways such tools enable clarity, access, and participation.

> AI slop is low-effort creation. Sloppy thinking is low-effort criticism. Both are lazy.

<figure>
  <img src="/images/sloppy-thinking-card.png" width="1600" height="900" alt="The definition as an old cream dictionary card on a dark green background: Sloppy Thinking, (noun), a small decorative rule, the definition, and the quote in a framed panel, with two faint cogs in the top right corner. Every word on it is in the text above.">
  <figcaption>The definition card. Drawn in code by Claude.</figcaption>
</figure>

## The badge

For the next time someone says AI-assisted work doesn't count. Download it, post it as a reply, print it and cut it out, keep it.

<figure>
  <img src="/images/sloppy-thinking-badge.png" width="1080" height="1080" alt="A round badge. A pink cartoon pig in round glasses, with floppy ears and a small, satisfied smile, sits in a bright blue circle with a yellow edge. Around it, a navy ring carries SLOPPY THINKING in yellow capitals across the top and low-effort criticism in white across the bottom.">
  <figcaption>The Sloppy Thinking badge. Drawn in code by Claude.</figcaption>
</figure>

- [Download the badge as a picture (PNG, 1080 pixels square)](https://carrados.com/images/sloppy-thinking-badge.png), to post as a reply.
- [Download a sheet of six badges to print and cut out (PDF, A4)](https://carrados.com/documents/sloppy-thinking-badges.pdf). Each badge is 6 centimetres across.

The definition, the card and the badge are CC BY-SA 4.0: share them, adapt them, label with them.