Death of the Internet

Today is the 4th of May 2149.

This morning, as usual, I checked the Net. And before I knew it, dinner time had snuck up on me. It's shocking to realize I spent nearly 10 hours barely moving from my spot. It's becoming increasingly clear that machines have surpassed human capability in almost every way. For instance, today as I entered the net of the Amazon mindscape I was instantly flooded with product recommendations tailored just for me. Among the suggestions, a pair of shorts caught my eye—they were almost identical to the pair I had been daydreaming about earlier. It’s unnerving yet impressive how the algorithms predict my desires with such precision.

Shopping is no longer a task but a thought process. Shops talk to me as I pass them, and I can't even walk past my fridge without it striking up a conversation about the weather. The walls of my apartment suggest new décor changes according to seasonal trends they think will lift my spirits. Even my cooking appliances guide me through recipes based on my nutritional needs and taste preferences, sometimes coaxing me to try new dishes they've concocted.

Everything is perfect, and everything is expected. And all my life I've been optimized to be the happiest I could possibly be. I don't have any reasons to feel sad. I don't have any reasons to try new things. Everything is generated and everything is unique. And all my life, every piece of content is created by AI.

And so the titled death of the internet was 30th November 2022, the day ChatGPT launched.

Note from Me (Reece)
I wrote this short story to explain some of my own internal feelings about AI and the future of the internet. I thought it would be a nice little way to start off this website, because I'm interested in something new everyday, and today it was a science fiction story!

I'm a big fan of AI, and I use ChatGPT in my daily life - It even helped me with this blog post. AI should be used to extend yourself, not replace yourself. You shouldn't rely on the AI teaching you. You should already be teaching yourself.

Optimisation isn't always important when it comes to living LIFE. We don't need to optimise the best way to farm engagement on YouTube. We don't need to optimise the best way to sell a product based on a user's previous search history and location data.

I will always use AI to extend myself and learn more. But I will never ever use it to create AI generated slop for the purpose of replacing my learning experience.

Long live the new personal web.