The article further explores the idea of a "useless library" where the internet becomes so polluted with misinformation that finding accurate information becomes extremely difficult. It warns of the potential for a feedback loop of degradation as AI models are trained on their own imperfect output. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of carefully maintaining and managing the internet to prevent a dystopian future where only the wealthy can afford accurate information.
Key takeaways:
- The internet could become so polluted with misinformation and low-quality content that it becomes largely unusable, a scenario explored in Neal Stephenson's 2019 novel “Fall.”
- AI chatbots, while potentially providing a solution to the misinformation epidemic, could also pose a significant threat to the future of the web, especially if they are trained on low-quality or recursively generated data.
- The scarcity of high-quality text for training AI models is becoming a significant issue, leading to an “emerging crisis in content” and forcing companies like OpenAI to enter into agreements with publishers for more raw material.
- The dystopian vision of the internet becoming a "useless library" filled with gibberish and falsehoods, as imagined by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, could become a reality if the issues of misinformation and low-quality content are not addressed.