The Dead Internet Theory started life as an online conspiracy theory that does the rounds from time to time. It suggests that most of what’s on the internet isn’t made by humans, but is that possible, and does it even matter?
The Dead Internet Theory in a Nutshell
The internet is a busy place, with billions of interactions, millions of content pieces, and staggering numbers of social media accounts and data about people.
The Dead Internet Theory (it’s really a hypothesis if we’re being honest) is the idea that most, but not all, of the content and interactions you see on the internet are not human. It’s all generated by algorithms and AI software, so much that the internet isn’t really a human place. Instead, humans are a minority on the net, without even realizing it.
Why would that even matter? Well, consider the impact that the internet has on modern society. It’s the primary way that people get information. It’s how misleading information about medical or political issues is spread with little or no oversight. With the internet being such an influential and central technology to modern human society, it stands to reason that having most of it be fake would be a huge point of concern!
Is This Even Possible?
Irrespective of whether you think the theory holds any truth, is it even possible? If we went back just a few years, the answer would have been a confident “no,” but in this day and age, it seems completely plausible. The technology to create virtually anything whole cloth is commonplace, which is why you should be skeptical of anything you see on the internet.
AI technologies can conjure any image, human faces that don’t exist are trivial to make, and AI systems can converse naturally with humans in a way that could fool many people. So, even if it’s not true that most of the internet is governed and created by non-living entities, certainly some parts of it are, and as these technologies advance it’s feasible that the percentage of machine-made content on the net will continue to grow.
What if It’s True?
If, for the sake of argument, it turns out the theory is actually true, what would that mean in a practical sense? We’ve already seen how “bots” on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook can do anything from manipulating public opinion, to perpetuating scams and misinformation. One study by cybersecurity company Cheq estimates that as many as 12% of the users on X could be bots. In 2019, Facebook took down a staggering 3 billion fake accounts, which would undoubtedly have included a significant number of bots.
There’s no doubt that algorithms, AI, and numerous other variations of autonomous software can have real and serious consequences for the lives of humans on this planet. Whether it’s people being radicalized on social media, algorithms creating echo chambers, or people who don’t exist having an influence on real people, a total takeover could conceivably send human society down a different path of history.
Bots Are Part of the Web’s Future
The dead internet theory is one of those conspiracy theories that stick around because it speaks to a very particular fear or concern. The thing is, it is completely reasonable to be wary of anything you see and hear on the web when it comes to human authorship. You have no way of really knowing that a human wrote this or that I exist. Which is, of course, nothing new in philosophical circles, but now it’s a real practical issue!
The fact is that on the world-wide internet, highly-intelligent, autonomous artificial agents will have a home. Whether it’s an unshackled AI running on servers in the middle of international waters by seasteading enthusiasts, or a marketing AI run by your favorite fast-food company, there’s no putting this genie back in the lamp. The dead internet theory in its original form may or may not be bunk. There’s no compelling evidence one way or another. However, we may be witnessing the birth of a version of it that everyone will have to live with.
