What is the Dead Internet Theory and Could It Change the Web?

Should you be worried?

While the majority of AI clickbait images should be viewed as harmless, the mass production of these is spam content could According to some experts, they also have even worse effects.

For example, a report from the Stanford Internet Observatory found that many accounts behind AI images like “Shrimp Jesus” have attempted to sell products that don’t exist, trick users into revealing users’ personalized data, or other people’s pages Facebook users stole in the first place.

The majority of users who interact with this content also seem unaware that images are not human-generated. This highlights the importance of platforms like Facebook labeling this type of content and ensuring additional transparency methods are introduced in the future.

However, contrary to the beliefs of more radical proponents of the dead internet theory, it is very unlikely that the recent proliferation of AI content is part of a deliberate attempt to control and manipulate ordinary internet users. More likely, it’s a symptom of technological advances outpacing the regulations surrounding its use, as the U.S. government continues to play catch-up on AI regulation.

Since the US is unlikely to promulgate comprehensive AI laws in the near future, we recommend staying away from spam-like AI-generated content on social media platforms and reporting any activity that appears suspicious or potentially harmful. As cybercriminals continue to use artificial intelligence as their weapon of choice, we also advise you to be on the lookout for increasingly sophisticated phishing attempts such as AI voice cloning and AI social media scams.

Learn more about AI fraud and Find out how to avoid them here.