>now that everything looks like the same AI-slop online

Designers have managed to make everything look the same pre-AI too, like the shitty "flat design" era.

Agree. Systems like shadcn accelerated this moving towards sameness a lot.

Flat design is still pervasive, and has horrible ergonomics. If I'm supposed to click on something, make it look that way, OK? Also, a tiny, grey chevron on the far right of some text is not adequate for marking a pull-down list. Who thought any of "flat design" was a good idea, and did they have to black mail all the human factors people to get it in production?

All that to say, I emphatically agree. Lemmings following a trend is not a good way to distinguish anything or any one.