Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022, the race to create the best AI has been in full swing. This has resulted in numerous new LLM (large language models) being released, including Anthropic’s Claude, Google’s Gemini, and Meta’s Llama.
Each has unique abilities that set it apart from the rest. As such, each has been adopted by various industries. From AI-powered search engines that help you find regulated casino sites to Fortune 500 companies like Amazon that leverage AI for everything from improving product recommendations to streamlining its supply chain, AI is slowly infiltrating every area of the internet.
Although this is generally helpful and makes countless processes much more efficient, the slow creep of AI into the deepest corners of the internet also comes with some drawbacks. Since these raise the question of whether the internet is better or worse off with these advances, let’s review some of the most prominent reasons why AI is ruining the internet.
Indistinguishable AI-Generated Content
The first and most prominent manner in which AI is ruining the internet is through the excessive amount of AI-generated content appearing online, ranging from images and deepfake videos to news articles and informational resources.
As AI has become increasingly advanced, it has lessened our ability to distinguish between content created by AI and humans. While this poses no apparent problems at first and leaves most simply marvelling at the skills of AI, it can have severe ramifications.
Chief among these is that this content can raise questions about the truth it disseminates. Without knowing who exactly is behind it and whether or not it has been properly verified, this content has the potential to be used for manipulation or to spread misinformation.
With AI-generated content increasing online, distrust of information found online is likely to rise, making it harder for internet users to believe or make decisions based on the content they find.
Unhelpful AI Chatbots
Another common way that AI is ruining the internet is through the overuse of AI chatbots. Thousands of websites and companies employ these to streamline customer support and consumer queries.
While chatbots can be useful if you’re searching for generic information or have a question that has a straightforward answer, they are often incredibly unhelpful at aiding with complex problems. In instances like this, customers can find themselves stuck in a looped conversation in which they try to explain their query while the AI consistently fails to address the concern.
This back and forth increases user frustration and, over time, can tarnish a company’s reputation. In addition, AI chatbots can also cause consumers to lose trust in a company as often the AI chatbot is structured to appear like a real person—with consumers only realising it is AI after finding it increasingly unhelpful.
Bias Driven by AI
A common argument against modern AI is the bias it has instilled. Although not coded by developing companies, this bias is learnt from data fed into the AI as part of its learning process. This data may have bias from its originating source or may lean more toward one direction, causing the AI to distinguish a bias that humans would miss.
In many cases, AI exaggerates this bias as it forms the basis of any response. This bias can also be present when AI is used to offer personalized services, recommendations, or ads. As such, users may find their exposure to information limited by a bias, which could perpetuate this bias in their thinking.
Despite developers’ attempts to mitigate this bias, such as by screening data used for learning purposes more closely, almost all AI has a level of bias. Where the AI cannot find enough useful information to handle a request, it may lean more on this bias to deliver a result.
Privacy Erosion
Among the biggest concerns people have regarding online AI use is when it is employed to monitor user behaviour and to build data profiles on users. This occurs when an AI algorithm analyses vast amounts of information about how users interact with the internet and what content they consume.
This data is then used to build a profile containing hundreds to thousands of data points about each individual. These points can be anything from likes and dislikes to the most visited websites and portals.
This information can be used for manipulative purposes, such as ensuring that users are shown content that resonates with them or for other illicit purposes. If this data is not properly secured, hackers or other criminal entities could steal it, removing users’ privacy along the way.
Over-Reliance on AI and AI-Driven Unemployment
Another way that AI is ruining the internet is by causing drastic overreliance on AI-driven systems. Where information used to be disseminated, handled, or analysed by humans, AI has taken over much of this workload.
Despite this being a good thing (in theory) as it streamlines workflows and processes, it also means that companies are becoming heavily reliant on AI to manage these systems. More than this, many employees who previously handled these tasks no longer retain a sharpened skillset, as their jobs no longer require it.
A side effect of AI taking over many systems is that many employees working in information technology are being replaced entirely. This process is leading to the unemployment of skilled workers who are only being called back when the AI fails.
Conclusion
Despite various positives to having AI present in many places on the internet, there is also an increasing list of negatives. These negatives, which may only cause frustration in some cases, can be severe and a genuine cause for concern in others.
As companies and websites continue to adapt their systems to allow for AI and rely ever more on AI-driven systems, care will need to be taken to balance this evolving technology with public sentiment. Should AI systems go too far, the internet may spiral out of control to the point where it will no longer be what it was meant to be.
