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Something exceptionally grim is happening on the Internet

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Re: Something exceptionally grim is happening on the Internet

#11

Post by squigz »

squidsoup wrote: post #10
MichaelRo wrote: post #6

>> In the last few months, the constant flood of algorithmically generated junk content has kicked into an AI-powered overdrive, and it is cutting a swath of destruction as it overwhelms search engines, filters, and moderation systems Nothing that wasn't happening already since some 15 years or so.

I think you are massively underestimating how quickly AI generated content is going to dominate the web. This is something new.

I don't know. People have been saying quite confidently that "AI" is "going to" "take over" the web since ChatGPT was announced. I live online and my only exposure to AI-generated content (that I recognize, of course, but that's another discussion) has been on purpose - when I look for it, use it myself, or others share what they're doing with it. I guess I'm still waiting for it to take over?

I think what people mean by "the web" is really just the 4-5 large social media sites. Those have been utterly filled with spam/scam/fraud for many years, so I fail to see a difference.

Re: Something exceptionally grim is happening on the Internet

#12

Post by [deleted] »

squidsoup wrote: post #10
MichaelRo wrote: post #6

>> In the last few months, the constant flood of algorithmically generated junk content has kicked into an AI-powered overdrive, and it is cutting a swath of destruction as it overwhelms search engines, filters, and moderation systems Nothing that wasn't happening already since some 15 years or so.

I think you are massively underestimating how quickly AI generated content is going to dominate the web. This is something new.

[deleted]

Re: Something exceptionally grim is happening on the Internet

#13

Post by a_vanderbilt »

squidsoup wrote: post #10
MichaelRo wrote: post #6

>> In the last few months, the constant flood of algorithmically generated junk content has kicked into an AI-powered overdrive, and it is cutting a swath of destruction as it overwhelms search engines, filters, and moderation systems Nothing that wasn't happening already since some 15 years or so.

I think you are massively underestimating how quickly AI generated content is going to dominate the web. This is something new.

This was a plot point in the Cyberpunk lore. The Internet got overrun with AI to the point that they had to build a new Internet in parallel for humans, with mega-companies being the stewards of course. In a way, Pondsmith called this decades ago.

Re: Something exceptionally grim is happening on the Internet

#14

Post by AlienRobot »

jbm wrote: post #7
AlienRobot wrote: post #5

It seems the site is down so I typed cache: https://mastodon.lawprofs.org/@jtlg/112052299948819084 on Google and checked the text version. Here's what it says: >To use the Mastodon web application, please enable JavaScript. Alternatively, try one of the native apps for Mastodon for your platform. That's very grim indeed.

I managed to connect. I don't know how much I can copy, since it's quite a long thread, but here is the first message. > Something exceptionally grim is happening on the Internet. > In the last few months, the constant flood of algorithmically generated junk content has kicked into an AI-powered overdrive, and it is cutting a swath of destruction as it overwhelms search engines, filters, and moderation systems > Call…

With everything in consideration, I think the real problem are incentives.

When human-created content competes and loses against AI-generated spam, the system is ill-designed.

This is the culmination of algorithms that have rewarded engagement over everything else. Creator platforms look at content made by experts that are high quality and take time to make and effort to consume, and judge it worse than trashy content full of controversial drama pushed every week without research or effort based on arbitrary metrics. Now we've reached the point where the creator is unnecessary and all that matters is engagement.

Creator-less engagement will be the future of the web. A technology that triumphed by connecting people around the world will die connecting you with nobody but an AI that acts as wall and filter between you and the rest of the world.

Re: Something exceptionally grim is happening on the Internet

#15

Post by krapp »

squigz wrote: post #11
squidsoup wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you are massively underestimating how quickly AI generated content is going to dominate the web. This is something new.

I don't know. People have been saying quite confidently that "AI" is "going to" "take over" the web since ChatGPT was announced. I live online and my only exposure to AI-generated content (that I recognize, of course, but that's another discussion) has been on purpose - when I look for it, use it myself, or others share what they're doing with it. I guess I'm still waiting for it to take over? I think what people mea…

>I think what people mean by "the web" is really just the 4-5 large social media sites. Those have been utterly filled with spam/scam/fraud for many years, so I fail to see a difference.

No, as the linked thread shows, this is happening everywhere, not just the 4-5 large social media silos. There is another completely separate thread knocking around on HN somewhere about how AI spam is filling up OpenAI's chatbot store, and it's been well documented as a problem with Google image search, Quora, Linkedin and numerous other sites.

It's apparent that you yourself don't notice the problem but that doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist.

Re: Something exceptionally grim is happening on the Internet

#16

Post by ChrisArchitect »

Did this collection of links warrant a post? See the many discussions about AI-infiltration and "Dead Internet Theory" around here:

The AI bullshit singularity

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39422528

The internet feels fake now. It's all just staged videos and marketing

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39551035

X becoming a 'ghost town' of bots as AI-generated spam content floods internet

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39535310

The Internet Is Full of AI Dogshit

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38952526

Re: Something exceptionally grim is happening on the Internet

#17

Post by barbazoo »

squigz wrote: post #11
squidsoup wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you are massively underestimating how quickly AI generated content is going to dominate the web. This is something new.

I don't know. People have been saying quite confidently that "AI" is "going to" "take over" the web since ChatGPT was announced. I live online and my only exposure to AI-generated content (that I recognize, of course, but that's another discussion) has been on purpose - when I look for it, use it myself, or others share what they're doing with it. I guess I'm still waiting for it to take over? I think what people mea…

It's hard to know where SEO ends and AI content begins but it's definitely a www phenomenon, not just "4-5 large social media sites".

Re: Something exceptionally grim is happening on the Internet

#18

Post by araes »

Some of the articles linked, are basically issues I was already aware of (such as all product review sites are turning into copy-pasta).

I at least have sympathy for the folks at: https://housefresh.com/david-vs-digital-goliaths/

However, mostly Google's included comment is personally hilarious. The weird craziness some people at Google must have to deal with.

> Lily Ray, 'when we told our client, they said "that's literally not going to be possible"'

> Google, 'Genuinely curious, what's impossible in guidance like "discuss benefits and drawbacks based on your own research"'

Re: Something exceptionally grim is happening on the Internet

#19

Post by squigz »

krapp wrote: post #15
squigz wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know. People have been saying quite confidently that "AI" is "going to" "take over" the web since ChatGPT was announced. I live online and my only exposure to AI-generated content (that I recognize, of course, but that's another discussion) has been on purpose - when I look for it, use it myself, or others share what they're doing with it. I guess I'm still waiting for it to take over? I think what people mea…

>I think what people mean by "the web" is really just the 4-5 large social media sites. Those have been utterly filled with spam/scam/fraud for many years, so I fail to see a difference. No, as the linked thread shows, this is happening everywhere, not just the 4-5 large social media silos. There is another completely separate thread knocking around on HN somewhere about how AI spam is filling up OpenAI's chatbot sto…

> It's apparent that you yourself don't notice the problem but that doesn't mean the problem doesn't exist.

Well that's true, but likewise, just because people notice the problem more in their own lives, doesn't mean it's as widespread as some say.

(Neither of these comments are meant to say that this is not a problem - it is - I'm just tired of the crazy-overstated FUD surrounding it all)

Re: Something exceptionally grim is happening on the Internet

#20

Post by zachmu »

What's interesting to me is how quickly AI generated art came to be expected, unexceptional. Every random blog post has a couple AI generated images now, they are completely unremarkable and uninteresting. The novelty wore off basically instantaneously. They're just the new corporate art style.
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