The Dead Internet theory returns — are bots in control?

According to the Dead Internet theory, which is gaining momentum online, the real Internet died in 2016 and is now mostly controlled by AI bots. They also claim that AI can manipulate public opinion.

CNET writes about this.

How the Dead Internet theory was born and why it has returned?

This conspiracy was first discussed in 2021 on the 4chan and Wizardchan forums. The authors of these threads argued that most online content is created by algorithms and that humans only consume artificial copies of reality. Some of those posts were later published on the Agora Road forum Macintosh Café, where the idea that AI is used to "manipulate public consciousness" gained popularity.

Interest in this topic increased due to an influx of similar AI-generated images on social media, ranging from "Shrimp Jesus" to a 386-year-old grandmother holding her own birthday cake. TikTok bloggers, including SideMoneyTom, revealed dozens of Facebook accounts that posted these types of images en masse and allegedly did not involve real people.

Generative models, such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini, create "human-like" text, images, and videos based on large amounts of data. Although the algorithms make mistakes, their output is becoming increasingly convincing. According to an Imperva report, bots accounted for nearly half of all internet traffic in 2023. The proliferation of generative AI has made it easier to write even basic malicious scripts.

On social media, it is easy to come across strange comments from new accounts without photos or with an unusual number of followers and likes. Experts advise paying attention to short or overly detailed bios, the absence of personal photos, and "fraudulent" responses.

In 2024, NewsGuard reported that generative models helped disseminate over 3.6 million pieces of pro-Russian propaganda. Pew Research Center reports show a gap between experts' expectations (47% believe AI will have a positive impact) and Americans' concerns (over 51% are concerned about AI's growth).

Although the theory is gaining popularity, evidence suggests that the internet is rapidly transforming. From memes to massive bot traffic, AI is already altering the digital landscape. Rather than marking the end of an era, however, this is probably just the beginning of a new format in which the main task will be to preserve the human dimension of the online space.

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