The Slop Test
Seven questions to find out if your AI idea is ready, or if you have more work to do.
The Problem
Everyone has an AI idea. Most of them are slop: thin wrappers around an API, solutions looking for problems, products that stop working when the provider changes its pricing.
But some are genuinely good, and they get dismissed alongside the rubbish because the builder has not done the homework. You cannot tell good from bad by looking at a demo. You can tell by asking whether the work has been done.
These seven questions are not about whether AI is involved. They are about whether you have validated the idea properly before building, pitching, or spending money on it.
Answer honestly. For every "no," there is a specific next step.
Read the full reasoning behind each question in our blog post: The Slop Test.
Take the test
Answer 7 questions. Be honest.
Does this problem affect a lot of people, and can you name them?
If you cannot name specific people who have this problem, you might be solving something that does not exist. Talk to them. Not to other builders.
Have you researched who else is working on this, and can you explain how yours is different?
If you have not looked, you do not know. Search properly. If someone is already doing it, that is useful information, not a reason to stop.
Have you searched social media, forums, and communities to see if others are talking about this problem?
Reddit, Twitter, LinkedIn, niche forums. Are people complaining about this problem? Are they asking for solutions? If nobody is talking about it, find out why.
Have you explained your idea to people who disagree with you, or who are not in the AI space, and listened to their feedback?
If you have only spoken to people who agree with you, you do not have feedback. You have an echo chamber. Find someone who thinks AI is overhyped and explain your idea to them.
Can you test this with real people, and do you have a way to measure whether it actually works?
If you cannot test it, you cannot prove it works. "It feels useful" is not a test. What would success look like, measured in something other than your own enthusiasm?
Can you explain what this does in plain language, without jargon, and have a non-technical person understand it?
If your pitch requires the listener to already believe in AI, it is not a pitch. It is a prayer. Explain the problem and the solution in words a stranger would understand.
Have you written down your research, your assumptions, and what you still do not know?
Writing it down forces clarity. If you cannot explain your assumptions on paper, you do not understand them well enough. This does not need to be academic. It needs to be honest.