Generative AI and the death of the Internet

The internet has been hailed as a hotbed of human creativity and connection since its creation. But what if that’s no longer true?

Enter the Dead Internet Theory, a conspiracy theory that’s been gaining momentum in recent years. This theory says the online world we know is more artificial than we might think.

What is the Dead Internet Theory?

Dead Internet Theory says most of the internet is now run by AI and bots, with human generated content becoming more and more rare. The theory came out of online forums and paints a pretty bleak picture of our digital world.

The origins of this theory can be traced back to a forum post by "IlluminatiPirate" on the Macintosh Cafe forums in January 2021. Inspired by discussions on 4chan’s paranormal board, the theory says the internet “died” within the last 5 years - and is now mostly AI generated content. Some even claim government involvement in keeping the illusion of a live internet.

The Internet Has Changed

Remember early Internet culture?

To understand Dead Internet Theory we need to go back to the early days of the internet. This was the era of personal blogs, hand coded websites, and vibrant communities and forums. Human creativity and diversity was at the forefront, users were shaping their online experience.

…and the current Internet

Fast forward to today and the landscape looks very different. The internet has moved to AI generated content, ad bots, and algorithm driven interactions. Perhaps most strikingly, recent research suggests that 52% of web traffic is now bots. Of course, not all bots are bad - many are for web crawling and feed fetching - but the sheer number of them raises questions about our online world.

Arguments for Dead Internet Theory

Proponents of Dead Internet Theory say the modern internet is nothing like the old one, AI is in control of many parts of our online experience. They point to the lack of humanity in online interactions and the difficulty in telling AI generated content from human created content. The theory also raises deeper philosophical questions about digital engagement. If most of our interactions are with bots or AI do our online actions mean anything? This is an old philosophical question about the meaning of actions when no one is watching.

Criticisms and Counter Arguments

Despite its interesting premise, Dead Internet Theory has many criticisms. Critics say human interaction and creativity still rules many platforms, especially social media. They point out user generated content is still essential to the internet even as algorithms and AI play a bigger role.

AI and Online Content

While Dead Internet Theory might be an extreme view, AI is definitely playing a bigger role in shaping online content. AI models like ChatGPT are generating massive amounts of text, some of which is blending in seamlessly with online environments. AI generated content is influencing TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube often from data sources like Reddit.

The rise of AI in content creation raises questions about authenticity and diversity online. As AI gets better the line between human created and machine generated content gets blurrier. This has created opportunities and challenges for content creators and platforms.

For Internet Users

Dead Internet Theory makes us think about our online content consumption and interactions. As users we need to question the content we consume and our digital interactions. Are we interacting with real people or are we increasingly interacting with AI driven entities? How can you know?

These questions make us think about the meaning of digital engagement in an AI driven world. If most of our online interactions are with bots or AI how does that change the value of those interactions?

The Internet of the Future

Looking forward, the relationship between human creativity and AI influence will only get more complex. While Dead Internet Theory is an extreme view, the reality will be more shades of gray.

Human ingenuity, and the desire for real connection will still be key to our online world.

The task ahead will be to leverage AI while keeping human connection online. This balance will be vital to the internet remaining a space for real human expression and interaction as AI gets better.

Dead Internet Theory might seem extreme, but it’s a useful lens to look at our digital world. It should make us question the authenticity of our online experiences, and the role of AI and how it interacts with humans in the online world.

Is the Internet dead?

Of course not. Dead Internet Theory is solidly in the “conspiracy theory” realm for now. But with AI being more accessible than ever, we’re certainly seeing it trend in this direction. So while it’s certainly not “dead”, the mainstream Internet is definitely “dying”.