OPINION: I would argue that AI undermines the Internet and I’ve created an Infographic in the form of a flowchart which is one way of representing what is happening. There are other aspects to this but this is how I see it.
This is a 2-page article, please note.
Big publishers sue AI
The story today on the news is that publishers are telling AI companies to pay if they want their content. My allegation is that the AI companies have scanned the Internet for content, bought it in to their computers, re-engineered it and then they present this content in their own way in response to questions asked by users.
Some big corps are suing AI such as Getty Images suing Stability AI. Authors Guild are suing Open AI.
When people use AI ‘copilots’ such as Google Gemini, Bing’s Copilot or Poe (there are others) they tend to gravitate towards these artificial intelligence computers sometimes referred to as AI chat bots, rather than using the conventional method of finding information which is to use Google or Bing (or other) search and pick out a website which they think is the most suited in providing the answer they seek.
Ultimately the information comes direct from a website and therefore direct from the author of articles on that website. The website therefore gains through extra traffic. The author is rewarded. Their voice is heard; vital in a free society to be able to express yourself and try and improve society.
Driving smaller sites into the ground
If these steps are bypassed, you end up with independent, smaller website with overheads going bust ultimately. They are being bypassed. People go direct to the AI chat bots for information.
It’s much quicker that way. It’s less fiddly. You don’t have to search the Internet using Google or Bing and fiddle around before you find the information you want. AI has done all the work for you and simply presents it on your plate in one delightful hit.
And as far as I’m concerned, and to the best of my knowledge, you can copy and paste that content as it has been created for the recipient and is therefore unique.
What concerns me is that smaller websites will simply stop producing content because there’s no point any more as very few people visit their sites. There is no point in writing good articles if nobody reads them.
There’s the demotivation and then some smaller sites have overheads because they pay people to write articles for them. The sites rely on advertising and associate partnerships to make enough money to pay these costs. But those earners are dependent on the number of hits they receive from users which in turn comes from Google sending users to them through their search engine.
If people don’t use Google and go straight to a chat bot then these medium-sized websites will struggle to survive and some will certainly go under.
Catster
One example of this, I would argue, is the website Catster. This site is struggling and I don’t blame them. There are other issues like they have run out of content but the nail in the coffin, probably, will be artificial intelligence bypassing the search engines.
Bookmark
You don’t even have to go in search of an AI chat bot using a search engine. You can simply bookmark the website of that chat bot in your browser and click on the bookmark.
These chat bot AI copilots are getting millions upon millions of hits. Those hits would have gone to conventional search.
Internet needs smaller sites
My point is that the Internet needs smaller independent websites because they provide an alternative viewpoint. They provide high quality content often which is a counterbalance to the conventional big content providers. We don’t want the Internet dominated by big corporations which is the where is heading. They provide mainstream views. We need to lone voice.
There needs to be space for the smaller woman or man to express their views through their experience and knowledge. At the moment then we are heading towards big corporations dominating the Internet and wiping out the small independents.
This kind of corporate takeover of businesses takes place all the time. It’s currently taking place in the UK with big corporations buying up all the independent veterinary clinics. This reduces competition. It forces up prices because big corporations are financially greedier. It means you lose the independent touch. You lose the independent veterinarian’s personal viewpoint and interaction with the client. This is a loss to the veterinary business.
And I say that artificial intelligence is going to create a net loss to the Internet. Clearly, people can use these AI bots for information and it is convenient but, in my view, this is a temporary benefit for users who will ultimately regret what’s happened when they can no longer access the smaller Internet websites because they no longer exist.
The assertion that artificial intelligence (AI) undermines the Internet overlooks the transformative benefits AI brings, especially in sectors like e-commerce and customer service. Tools like conversational AI for e-commerce and Aicallassist exemplify how AI is revolutionizing interactions and operations. Aicallassist, with its promise to revolutionize call management using AI by providing instant, accurate, and human-like responses 24/7, enhances customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Conversely, conversational AI for e-commerce personalizes shopping experiences, making them more engaging and intuitive. These innovations demonstrate AI’s potential to enrich the Internet ecosystem, making services more accessible, efficient, and responsive. Far from undermining the Internet, AI is a pivotal force in its evolution, creating opportunities for businesses and consumers alike to connect and interact in novel, meaningful ways.
I agree that there are benefits but for website owners who are the backbone of the internet it undermines them. The internet is made of websites anything which undermines them undermines the internet. And AI creates a monopoly in favour of Google and Bing to name two.
AI also undermines intellectual property rights and artists’ royalties:
https://cat-chitchat.pictures-of-cats.org/2024/04/artificial-intelligence-ai-destroying.html
So I am not convinced at the moment that AI is beneficial generally to the internet at this juncture. Thanks for commenting.