Search the pre-ChatGPT internet with the Slop Evader browser extension
(2025/12/01)
- Reference: 1764613018
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/12/01/pregpt_slop_evader_browser/
- Source link:
ChatGPT's public debut on November 30, 2022, is widely seen by critics as the start of the AI-slop era online. Those yearning for a more human-written web can get some relief from a browser extension that filters Google searches to pre-ChatGPT results.
[1]Slop Evader , published in late October by Australian artist, environmental engineer and tech critic Tega Brain, isn't a complicated bit of code, but it will make searching the pre-ChatGPT internet and some of its most popular sites a bit easier for you.
Available for [2]Chrome and [3]Firefox , the extension itself is simple - so simple you could duplicate its features using Google search [4]operators , which Brain acknowledges by calling it "just a convenience" on the extension's GitHub [5]page . For those of us who can’t remember all of Google’s search operators, Slop Evader does the work of adding Google’s date-range filter to your queries by inserting a tbs=cdr:1,cd_max:MM/DD/YYYY (and optionally cd_min) clause. For example, appending &tbs=cdr:1,cd_max=11/29/2022 to a search URL will restrict results to pages dated before that cutoff.
[6]
Along with basic Google searches, the extension also includes options to search Reddit, Quora, Stack Exchange, parenting site Mumsnet, Pinterest, and YouTube, ensuring that even your home DIY ideas aren't being tainted by AI-generated chaff.
[7]
[8]
"Slop Evader rallies against false narratives of progress and assumes that the quality of the internet as an information retrieval tool has been in rapid decline since the public uptake of generative AI," Brain wrote on GitHub. "Everytime your attention is diverted to some piece of media, you must now ask yourself – is this real or is it machine learning? Slop Evader offers some respite."
Let El Reg's US editor cull Google's AI SERP garbage for you
For those who'd still like to access modern Google search results without the embedded AI garbage that comes with them, our US editor Avram Piltch has you covered with a Chrome extension of his own.
[9]Bye Bye, Google AI gives Chrome users the option to hide Google's [10]AI overviews as well as discussion sections, sponsored links, shopping ads, videos, and "people also ask" features, providing a pre-AI-crammed-into-every-corner-of-the-interface view for SERPs.
It won't get rid of links containing AI slop like Brain's extension, but it'll at least make the Google Search experience a more pleasant one.
All of the searches - even for specific sites - are returned through Google, as Brain noted that most native search options on popular websites lack the ability to filter by date, so the prioritization of that content is still up to Google's AI algorithms to decide, naturally.
[11]Many employees are using AI to create 'workslop,' Stanford study says
[12]We read OpenAI's risk study. GPT-4 is not toxic ... if you add enough bleach
[13]Google's AI-powered search results are loaded with spammy, scammy garbage
[14]When you try to hire a freelancer to write SQL and all you get is incorrect AI garbage
It's also worth noting that, while the modern ChatGPT model and the explosion of AI models that followed all began after November 30, 2022, there was still plenty of AI garbage to be found on the internet before that date - it was just [15]way more obvious in the early days than it is now.
In other words, this extension will eliminate the bulk of the AI slop that's increasingly tricky to suss out from your search results, but it won't get rid of absolutely everything. Those pre-December 2022 search results aren't getting any fresher, either.
For that matter, Brain doesn't think a simple AI-blocking browser extension is the solution to the truth-shattering AI predicament we find ourselves in, either.
[16]
"We need collective action and pushback that goes beyond individual tools to avoid machine learning," she noted on GitHub. "I hope this project inspires more work and thinking on tools that support a politics of refusal."
With the simple JavaScript and HTML code available on GitHub, anyone who wants to tweak the extension to add their own site filters can do so, or just wait for Brain to catch up.
"[I'm] interested in adding additional sites if people want to request this," Brain told The Register in an email. "Am def still working on the project." ®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://tegabrain.com/Slop-Evader
[2] https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/slop-evader/mlofdhcgaaimlpbjlhpfnpjfpebjpdpp
[3] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/slop-evader/?utm_source=addons.mozilla.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=search
[4] https://ahrefs.com/blog/google-advanced-search-operators/
[5] https://github.com/tegacodes/slop-evader
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aS4eCADaMgUnOuIu6KPRLAAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aS4eCADaMgUnOuIu6KPRLAAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aS4eCADaMgUnOuIu6KPRLAAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/bye-bye-google-ai-turn-of/imllolhfajlbkpheaapjocclpppchggc?hl=en-US&pli=1
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/22/google_ai_overviews_suppress_search/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/26/ai_workslop_productivity/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/17/gpt4_arc_risk_review/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/25/googles_aipowered_search_results_are/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/09/upwork_chatgpt_problem/
[15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Smith_Eating_Spaghetti_test
[16] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aS4eCADaMgUnOuIu6KPRLAAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
[1]Slop Evader , published in late October by Australian artist, environmental engineer and tech critic Tega Brain, isn't a complicated bit of code, but it will make searching the pre-ChatGPT internet and some of its most popular sites a bit easier for you.
Available for [2]Chrome and [3]Firefox , the extension itself is simple - so simple you could duplicate its features using Google search [4]operators , which Brain acknowledges by calling it "just a convenience" on the extension's GitHub [5]page . For those of us who can’t remember all of Google’s search operators, Slop Evader does the work of adding Google’s date-range filter to your queries by inserting a tbs=cdr:1,cd_max:MM/DD/YYYY (and optionally cd_min) clause. For example, appending &tbs=cdr:1,cd_max=11/29/2022 to a search URL will restrict results to pages dated before that cutoff.
[6]
Along with basic Google searches, the extension also includes options to search Reddit, Quora, Stack Exchange, parenting site Mumsnet, Pinterest, and YouTube, ensuring that even your home DIY ideas aren't being tainted by AI-generated chaff.
[7]
[8]
"Slop Evader rallies against false narratives of progress and assumes that the quality of the internet as an information retrieval tool has been in rapid decline since the public uptake of generative AI," Brain wrote on GitHub. "Everytime your attention is diverted to some piece of media, you must now ask yourself – is this real or is it machine learning? Slop Evader offers some respite."
Let El Reg's US editor cull Google's AI SERP garbage for you
For those who'd still like to access modern Google search results without the embedded AI garbage that comes with them, our US editor Avram Piltch has you covered with a Chrome extension of his own.
[9]Bye Bye, Google AI gives Chrome users the option to hide Google's [10]AI overviews as well as discussion sections, sponsored links, shopping ads, videos, and "people also ask" features, providing a pre-AI-crammed-into-every-corner-of-the-interface view for SERPs.
It won't get rid of links containing AI slop like Brain's extension, but it'll at least make the Google Search experience a more pleasant one.
All of the searches - even for specific sites - are returned through Google, as Brain noted that most native search options on popular websites lack the ability to filter by date, so the prioritization of that content is still up to Google's AI algorithms to decide, naturally.
[11]Many employees are using AI to create 'workslop,' Stanford study says
[12]We read OpenAI's risk study. GPT-4 is not toxic ... if you add enough bleach
[13]Google's AI-powered search results are loaded with spammy, scammy garbage
[14]When you try to hire a freelancer to write SQL and all you get is incorrect AI garbage
It's also worth noting that, while the modern ChatGPT model and the explosion of AI models that followed all began after November 30, 2022, there was still plenty of AI garbage to be found on the internet before that date - it was just [15]way more obvious in the early days than it is now.
In other words, this extension will eliminate the bulk of the AI slop that's increasingly tricky to suss out from your search results, but it won't get rid of absolutely everything. Those pre-December 2022 search results aren't getting any fresher, either.
For that matter, Brain doesn't think a simple AI-blocking browser extension is the solution to the truth-shattering AI predicament we find ourselves in, either.
[16]
"We need collective action and pushback that goes beyond individual tools to avoid machine learning," she noted on GitHub. "I hope this project inspires more work and thinking on tools that support a politics of refusal."
With the simple JavaScript and HTML code available on GitHub, anyone who wants to tweak the extension to add their own site filters can do so, or just wait for Brain to catch up.
"[I'm] interested in adding additional sites if people want to request this," Brain told The Register in an email. "Am def still working on the project." ®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://tegabrain.com/Slop-Evader
[2] https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/slop-evader/mlofdhcgaaimlpbjlhpfnpjfpebjpdpp
[3] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/slop-evader/?utm_source=addons.mozilla.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=search
[4] https://ahrefs.com/blog/google-advanced-search-operators/
[5] https://github.com/tegacodes/slop-evader
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aS4eCADaMgUnOuIu6KPRLAAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aS4eCADaMgUnOuIu6KPRLAAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aS4eCADaMgUnOuIu6KPRLAAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/bye-bye-google-ai-turn-of/imllolhfajlbkpheaapjocclpppchggc?hl=en-US&pli=1
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/22/google_ai_overviews_suppress_search/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/26/ai_workslop_productivity/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/03/17/gpt4_arc_risk_review/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/25/googles_aipowered_search_results_are/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/09/upwork_chatgpt_problem/
[15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Smith_Eating_Spaghetti_test
[16] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/aiml&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aS4eCADaMgUnOuIu6KPRLAAAAFM&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Perhaps they could repurpose a key.
Tron
I've never found a use for Num Lock or Scroll Lock, and never used the Windows key.
Something that would kill all AI processes and endlessly send the lyrics from "Never Gonna Give You Up" back to LLM servers trying to scan your files and snaffle your stuff.
Anonymous Coward
You mean an "Install Linux Now" button?
other search engines are available
captain veg
I've been using DuckDuckGo for some years, but it's been heading down the enshittification tube for the last several months and now shovels in unwanted and unneeded "ai" crap regularly. I suppose that the first time I saw it advertised on TV should have been a warning.
-A.
This is counterproductive for me, unfortunately.
sarusa
I often find myself limiting the search to the last month because in the tech world, especially the linux world, even stuff a year old can be wildly out of date and incorrect.
My solution for dumping all the AI slop has been switching to Kagi. Yes, it has an optional AI slop module in case you *want* it, but Kagi is fabulously configurable so you can completely eliminate it. They also aggressively try to remove AI slop sites up front. Which Google could do (sites suddenly popping up with thousands of slop pages are very obvious), but they don't want to because more bad results means more ads for them.
I wish someone would create a windows add-on to continuously remove all Absolutely Irritating bollocks from the m$ ecosystem.