Cartooning in the Age of AI #26: Countering AI Slop

I don't want AI-generated content and I know I can create better than that.

Cartooning wasn’t an easy way to make a living before generative AI came along.
Now we’re going to have to get smarter.
And more human.

Searching for a Book That Doesn’t Exist

When I first put Molly on a ketogenic diet to treat her focal seizures, she responded amazingly well. But it's difficult to keep a dog in ketosis, despite reading every research paper I can find on the subject. The vets I’ve taken Molly to are more geared towards drug prescription than diet modification.

I contacted a canine dietician who had this to say when I went to her for help:

Ketogenic diets should be approached with caution, and since this isn’t my specialised area, I wouldn’t be the best person to advise on it.

I thought there must be a book that could guide me. There was nothing in my library, so I went to Amazon—the biggest book search engine in the world.

What I Found: AI Slop Taking Over

I downloaded a book and immediately recognised the telltale signs of AI writing, including recipes better suited for humans than dogs (stir-fry? frittata??). When I looked up the vet author, all I found were posts by someone recommending her books—seven of which had been published in August 2025—on Facebook. I assume they used AI to write all of them. That one star review is mine.

When I searched again, I found another book written by a dog trainer who also didn't seem to exist.

You can use tools (eg. Publisher Rocket) to rank what people are searching for on Amazon. Clearly, many people are searching for books about ketogenic diets for dogs. When people search for things, writers try to fill that market. And now AI is filling in all those gaps—poorly. Though disappointing, this AI slop told me something.

I Should Write This Book

I'm better qualified to write a book about this than most people. I have:

• A degree in biochemistry

• Seven years' experience working in clinical trials in the pharmaceutical industry

• A dog who developed focal seizures, most likely because of unnecessary flea treatments

• The background to understand what happened to her and what might help her—better than some vets or vet dietitians

• The ability as a cartoonist to present complex issues in a way people can understand.

What happened to Molly, probably because of her flea treatment, and the attitude of conventional veterinary medicine (more pills, more interventions) has been sitting heavily with me. I know how the pharmaceutical industry works. Good people can be subverted by the profit imperative.

I wanted to write a book about cartooning in the age of AI, or living on Portland. But life keeps throwing me curveballs, and it's about time I caught one.

I guess I’ll be the one to write a book about what has happened to Molly and how she is getting better. I’d like to encourage more people to think twice about routine flea and tick treatments for their pets when they don't really need them—especially when these chemicals can harm the environment and potentially harm their pets. And I want to keep researching how to keep Molly’s seizures at bay.

I’m not the only one looking for that book, but I might be the only one who can write it.

What would be the book only you could write?

Thank you for being one of the good humans.

Alex

P.S. Molly was very good this week.

My old school friend is back in Dorchester to help her parents during a tough transition time. Molly, Zippy and I picked her up and we drove to Ringstead for a beach walk and swim. Walking back up the hill, Molly was caught by surprise by a cow poking her head through a bush.

Molly surprised me by glancing at the cow and...

…not reacting!

Maybe she is adjusting to this Dorset life.

And if you’re not the subscription type, you can also support what I do by buying me a coffee, or Molly a treat (her current favourite: dried chicken hearts, bleurgh!), by clicking the graphic below.

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"A New Zealand Diary: Living in Lyttelton", an illustrated, non-AI-generated memoir, is available where all good books are sold and for free in libraries (ask yours to get a copy)

“Alex Hallatt has made a little masterpiece of a book” – Librarian from Tūranga, Christchurch

Book details, a sample chapter and more information are at alexhallatt.com/nzd

More Reviews Help Cartoonists Make a Living by Selling More Books

If you are one of the many readers who have enjoyed my books (usually available for free in libraries, like my latest, A New Zealand Diary), please leave a review, ideally on Amazon (where many people research books, even if they don’t buy them there) or Goodreads.
It costs only your time and helps me do battle with the algorithms.

Thank you.

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