[nozzlegear]

I tend to be wary of AI slop products as well, but I don't think indie developers are particularly more prone to creating AI slop than VC-backed devs. It seems to me that AI has lowered the barrier to entry for creating slop products for indie devs. On the other end of the spectrum, the number of VC-backed SaaS products out there that haven't completely pivoted to becoming some kind of AI wrapper is approximately zero.

Regarding the topic at hand, I'm more likely to purchase something that's not VC-backed, and does not mention AI at all these days.

[ipsento606]

Can you give any examples of "AI slop products"?

[nozzlegear]

Sure. I build Shopify apps and maintain an open-source .NET library for the Shopify API, so naturally I get a lot of emails (solicited and unsolicited) from people regarding their Shopify apps. Just this morning I got an unsolicited (spam) email from someone offering to sell me their Shopify apps. These are the descriptions they gave me, with app names redacted:

- App A: AI Virtual Try-On. Lets customers try products virtually, reducing returns.

- App B: WhatsApp Chat Button. Seamless WhatsApp integration for instant support.

- App C: AI Product Blocks. AI-generated insights to boost trust and conversions.

App B doesn't have AI, but Apps A and C are products that have existed in various forms on the Shopify App Store for years before AI became a buzzword. AI doesn't add anything here – especially in the case of Product Blocks, if you're familiar with what a block is in a Shopify theme, or the privacy restrictions enforced on them. And AI virtual try-on? What is AI going to add to a virtual try-on?

[lmz]

> What is AI going to add to a virtual try-on?

I can imagine words of praise, rendered in an emotionally convincing tone of voice would be good for conversion.