Does AI pose a threat to the web? I doubt it, but it’s worth thinking about.
The article basically argues that AI will eventually replace user-created content, thus eliminating the need for humans at all in the process, but I beg to differ. Just because what AI can do right now may seem impressive, I suspect the gap between where it is today and where it needs to be as described by the article is a lot larger than what many people realize.
Last month Ed Zitron published a pretty convincing argument on why we should judge AI on what it can do and not what we think it might be able to do in the future, because the hype that’s being perpetuated by AI companies and the press is greatly inflating the value—and abilities—of generative AI (not to mention legal issues that may stop further progress in this space).
Also, the article seems to only be thinking of the “informational” aspect of the web, but one of the most (if the the most) important aspects of the web is user-to-user discourse. Just like AI doesn’t care what people think, humans don’t care what AI “thinks”, so we will always seek ways to connect with one another to engage in meaningful discussions and share our thoughts and opinions.
I don’t think AI is a threat to the web in the same way the web was to physical encyclopedia volumes of the past. If that’s all the web was about, sure, but it’s so much more than that.