Second-hand stores are already receiving donations from people disappointed with the quality of the gifts — which were promoted with misleading images made with Artificial Intelligence.
A growing number of Christmas gifts promoted with artificial intelligence are already being introduced. reappear on second-hand store shelvesafter disappointed buyers said the products looked much better online than they did in reality.
According to , the articles, now widely dubbed “AI slop presents”, something like “AI lama presents“, have become a symbol of how generative artificial intelligence is reshaping and distorting online shopping.
“Slop” (something like “mud”), elected Word of the Year 2025 by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, refers to low quality digital content mass-produced by artificial intelligence and pushed to consumers through social media.
In the retail world, the term has come to describe products whose marketing images are heavily enhanced or entirely generated by AIcreating unrealistic expectations about quality, design or even basic functionality.
In the weeks after Christmas, videos began circulating on TikTok, Instagram and X showing mugs, t-shirts, dresses and novelty items that little resembled the elegant products and details advertised online.
A viral video showed a cheap mug, with a design that imitated a stack of books, already on sale in a second-hand store a few days after Christmas. “Five days after Christmas and the mugs with AI-generated images they are already in the second-hand store”, reads the caption.
@princessfunnygirlwhat’s sad is I’ve seen much worse than this one♬ som original – Fleabag Brasil
Comments sections quickly filled with similar stories. Users shared reports of receiving AI-generated cat mugs, low-quality clothing, and other unusual gifts that appeared fragile or unfinished.
Some noted that the objects shown “They weren’t even the worst.” examples they had ever seen, while others expressed compassion for parents and grandparents who were fooled by impeccable online images.
“What’s sad is that people just wanted to give something nice to someone they love,” one commenter wrote. “They saw a photograph and trusted it“.
The problem appears to have hit older generations hardest, as they are less familiar with AI-generated images and more likely to trust product photos shared in social media ads. Lots of ads did not clearly inform that the images had been created or significantly altered with AI, blurring the fine line between marketing hype and pure deception.
The phenomenon took even celebrities by surprise. The actress Melissa Joan Hart shared her own experience on Instagram, posting side-by-side photos of a dress she ordered online and the item she received.
“What I ordered… what I received!“, he wrote. Comments quickly pointed out that, if even a technology-aware celebrity could be fooled, ordinary consumers had little chance.
Consumer rights advocates warn that as generative AI tools become cheaper and more sophisticated, misleading product images may become increasingly common and tightening of regulation and enforcement will be necessary. false advertising laws.
