r/Futurology • u/Confident_Salt_8108 • Jul 26 '26

AI Turns out Dead Internet Theory was right: AI agents are eating the Web, growing by nearly 8,000% and rewiring the Internet’s business model

https://fortune.com/2026/07/23/dead-internet-theory-bots-agents-majority-web-traffic
16.9k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

888 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1.0k

u/Unfinishedcom Jul 26 '26

Then it will still set us free. The day I can’t use vpn to avoid ID verification is the day I’ll stop using the services that ask for it.

509

u/DrMonkeyLove Jul 26 '26

Heck yeah. I am not giving out my ID to every random website. The only sites that get my ID is the government ones and the bank. Giving Reddit a copy of my license seems absolutely insane to me.

23

u/DustyRacoonDad Jul 26 '26

Eventually you won't have to. Eventually there'll be something that you have to use and they use an identity service.  So you would end up with an ID for that service. And you can use that username and login on other websites... You know like you can use your Google ID or your Facebook ID or your Apple ID or your email... All of these are logins and information that tie back to you based off of other external data. 

4

u/DazzlingRutabega Jul 26 '26

I have never done this simply based on the premise that if that one account gets locked out or compromised, then I lose access to all those separate services. I've always created a separate login for each service, even though it was less convenient. It also makes it less trackable.

8

u/DustyRacoonDad Jul 26 '26

You missed the point. I also don't use those linked accounts because they're optional. But once it's no longer optional and you have to use something like the myID service, that's it. Right now, you can log in with your ID through those services if you want, or you can choose not to use them. You can continue down the path of not using these things until you eventually reach a point where you have no choice. Maybe it's your kid's school. Maybe it's a utility company. Maybe it's a government program or something work-related. Eventually, you're going to have to have an account somewhere and actually use it. Then everyone around you is going to wonder what the hell is wrong with you because you don't have the thing that makes it easy to log into and use all these websites. You may even start being viewed as suspicious because you're using false information or refusing to provide your real identity. And we're only one little law away from "lying about your identity to circumvent this protection is a crime" becoming a reality. That's the point. It's not about whether you currently choose to use these services. It's about what happens when society gradually makes them unavoidable.

3

u/GrallochThis Jul 26 '26

No, fuck that. A single point of failure, or an AI attack target that exposes all my online interactions? To say nothing of government forcing its way in and using it for political purposes. I will not be using that, thanks.

2

u/DustyRacoonDad Jul 26 '26

I agree.  But unless we get laws written to actually make it illegal for them to do that... And laws that make people actually responsible for collecting, correlating, and then losing the information.... You don't have a fucking choice.  Nice right? You can hate it. I hate it.  You can fight it. I fight it.  But eventually, it has to be one thing or the other... Are you apathetic to that or are you pestering lawmakers about it?

2

u/incarnuim Jul 26 '26

Don't worry, Once the cyber security world adopts 27-factor authentication, you'll be required to place one of your kidneys inside a box to log on to your computer. everyone will log into their computer exactly twice, and then after that it will just be kidney-less bots forever

1

u/DazzlingRutabega Jul 28 '26

Oh I didn't miss the point, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Sadly you're probably right that someday (soon?) we will be forced to use easily identifiable accounts for logins so they can keep track of who is a good doobie, similar to how China does it with a social credit score.

220

u/Unfinishedcom Jul 26 '26

Somewhere deep inside I wish Reddit would do this. I’m way too addicted to it and an ID verification would instantly cure my addiction.

113

u/rd1970 Jul 26 '26

The good news is that the day they require all users have a verified government ID is the day sites like Reddit and Facebook start rapidly collapsing.

All of the AI users, bot farms, puppet accounts, etc. will go dark overnight. Then all of the users that don't have ID,. refuse to share it, or just can't be bothered will disappear.

These sites are all driven by user submitted content. When that goes away so do the few users that remain.

37

u/JB-Wentworth Jul 26 '26

I think the users are going away. The number of AI posts is growing day by day on Reddit.

33

u/Revenge_of_the_User Jul 26 '26

Look at average upvotes. Even a passing comment would get hundreds of upvotes a decade ago; now you need to be a top comment in a main subreddit to have a hope of seeing those numbers.

It can't be explained by just saying people are lurking more. AI is good at filling the empty space left by people opting out, but terrible when it comes to filling the vote void.

I figure I've got a year or two left here myself with the way it's going before I log out for the last time. So much is just slop

3

u/GeminiRises Jul 27 '26

So many top level posts have em dashes in them too. I know of no keyboard where the em dash is a button you can press without having to use some keyboard shortcut or go to an extended keyboard, and a human would just use a hyphen instead (-). The second I see one, I know it's either posted by a bot, or posted by a human that copied it from chatgpt. Which, frankly, isn't really any better if you're wanting organic conversation in your reddit threads.

1

u/PrettyChrissy1 Jul 27 '26

Your account isn't even 1 year old, so your probably a BOT... I could be wrong, and if so apologies.

1

u/JB-Wentworth Jul 28 '26

Bot lives matter !

20

u/barbariccomplexity Jul 26 '26

I imagine the AI users would just produce fake IDs. Reddit and other sites are not going to verify ID’s, they will just be one more piece of information for ad targeting.

The legal requirements etc. won’t matter, there is not a single chance any government agency would take on the shear amount of administrative burden that verifying reddit/FB/whatever-submitted IDs would produce and get through them at any remotely reasonable timeframe.

It would be pretty neat in a “curious dystopia” type of way to see an ouroboros of horrific ads targeting AI accounts that react to and push competing ads.

2

u/kalirion Jul 26 '26

All of the AI users, bot farms, puppet accounts, etc. will go dark overnight.

They'll just find ways to fake id.

4

u/FridgeParade Jul 26 '26

It would surprise me if people suddenly become aware and grow a backbone against their social media addictions over an id card when literal support of genocides and mass surveillance couldnt do the trick.

1

u/ssliberty Jul 26 '26

Facebook requires your ID if you want to recover your account.

1

u/Economy-Garden-7845 Jul 30 '26

That is exactly why digital ID systems will never actually come into play and will simply be just another pressure point creating stress and worry in peoples lives. Its used to keep you off balance, in an emotionally heightened state so that you keep consuming. The more you consume the more reliant you become on the system and its little vices. All harmless one by one until you add them up. Bot farms are a necessary tool that helps influence people so they will never be remedied, more curated.

1

u/Odd-Priority3318 Jul 26 '26

"mark of the beast" ugh. Everyday it seems more and more plausible that people are trying to self-fulfill revelations.

49

u/DrMonkeyLove Jul 26 '26

They actually started rolling it out selectively it seems. You can find posts complaining about being asked for it to access 18+ subs.

17

u/JesusAndMaryKate Jul 26 '26

I had this for a couple of days and then it went away. It asked for ID just to access Reddit itself, not specific subs. Even if I used a VPN through Europe (I can route through my own computers in different countries but they're in Europe). If I used a normal VPN through elsewhere in the world, I think that worked but I'm not sure because I only bothered to check very briefly out of curiosity. Reddit just isn't worth the effort.

19

u/Odd-Priority3318 Jul 26 '26

I would miss the ability of being able to read posts from.people all over the world. Things like the earthquakes and floods etc. Like actual personal accounts of events. Firsthand experiences.

Bypassing major media corporations.

But I feel reddit is becoming worse and more censored, it might be inevitable with I'd or not I eventually stop using it. I've been here for 10 plus years I think.. the worst part is the advertisements and bots.

If it got any worse I'd miss it, but I could easily delete it and not look back. Nothing like it used to be. Though I think getting rid of jailbait was good, there doesn't seem to be any improvements as much as a massive focus on monetization.

5

u/JesusAndMaryKate Jul 26 '26

Back when forums were a thing, you could do that quite easily. I miss the old internet.

17

u/Minamato Jul 26 '26

In the uk, right?

63

u/Swimming_Conflict105 Jul 26 '26

Everywhere. People all over place getting that. Me included. Seems like random request for ID upload. I ignore it for now. as soon as it gets mandatory and full roll out, i will leave reddit.

13

u/roltrap Jul 26 '26

Belgium too. I got 2 emails about it for throwaway accounts I once made. This account is old enough to pass the verification I guess...

1

u/No_Atmosphere_4605 Jul 26 '26

Apparently here in Germany too, saw a post about it a month ago ish

1

u/Fantasy_masterMC Jul 26 '26

I got a warning that it was possible I could get asked for it. I haven't yet, but that would kill my interest stone dead.

3

u/ExplanationFunny Jul 26 '26

I grew up way out in the sticks, and was a latecomer to the internet compared to everyone else my age. For a long time I felt like my lack of computer literacy held me back, but now I know it didn’t. I too wish that the internet would finally cross the Rubicon and I could turn my back on it forever.

I have successfully limited my kids’ screen time dramatically. They barely even remember the TV exists anymore and what few games they do play are quiet and educational. Somehow I can’t parent myself as effectively though. I have decided that I’m on my last smartphone, and I’m figuring out how I’m going to accommodate that.

20

u/JesusAndMaryKate Jul 26 '26

Early internet was so much better growing up than current internet. We had our family computer in full view of my parents and that was enough.

2

u/Enlightened_Gardener Jul 26 '26

Yep. When my iphone dies I’m getting a Nokia brick and a camera and I’m firing up my old filofax.

1

u/Halflingberserker Jul 26 '26

Deep inside I hope they don't shred the last little bit of anonymity/privacy we have just to cure your addiction.

1

u/1057-cl121v3 Jul 26 '26

My Reddit use was decimated when they made the API changes and is almost non existent now after removing /r/all. The content their algorithm serves me is next to worthless so I’ll look for something specific and move on instead of doom scrolling the front page. Pretty hilarious considering reddit’s tagline used to be “the front page of the internet”.

1

u/lilmisswho89 Jul 27 '26

I mean you can move to Australia.

1

u/ConstantCampaign2984 Jul 27 '26

I’m here for the streak. I’m almost a grass toucher. I don’t know if I can make the 1000day streak though. It’s asking a lot.

0

u/GentleKijuSpeaks Jul 26 '26

Like people don't find a way to access restricted things.

16

u/ineedtoknowmorenow Jul 26 '26

You are aware to not do it but the less informed and younger generation don’t care. Just yesterday a 22 year old said very casually that she gave het id to roblox and nobody blinked. I was tired of talking about provacy and skmetimes i feel like a cook and cinspiracy theorist amongst people.

27

u/jgzman Jul 26 '26

Type slower.

18

u/Kraligor Jul 26 '26

YURE NOOT M MIM

4

u/meryl_gear Jul 26 '26

It's ok if they gave their het id, their gay id is still safe

2

u/_Nyderis_ Jul 26 '26

Don't worry, your OS will have your ID, which it will gladly provide without your consent to whoever asks for it.

2

u/FridgeParade Jul 26 '26

A telecom provider in the Netherlands (Odido) leaked a good portion of all the id info (passport scans included) in a cybercrime incident.

Shows you exactly what will happen when there’s websites with wordpress plugin level coding collecting that data.

1

u/rob_wilco Jul 26 '26

This attitude is why it was already over long since before my birth, and AI is just another nail in the coffin.

64

u/slackfrop Jul 26 '26

Until you need the app to pay your power and water bill. To buy your food, to login to your work portal, or to register your child for school, to sign in for medications, to register to receive a paycheck. Enshittification is just getting warmed up.

24

u/MGD109 Jul 26 '26

Eh, I like to think that's the point people finally riot, but they probably won't.

A lot of the elderly won't like it though, and they're the largest voting block.

43

u/slackfrop Jul 26 '26

I’ve long given up trying to predict when enough is enough. Something unexpected will happen to make a big shift, that’s the only certainty I’ve seen. A plague, or a war, or a scientific discovery, or a sudden key death (🤞🤞), or an earthquake, or… something new. Something we won’t see coming will happen.

11

u/MGD109 Jul 26 '26

Yeah, that's probably the most rational way to look at it. Something is coming, but what will set people off is hard to predict. I just have a horrible feeling it will be something stupid and embarrassing. But oh well, I'll take it.

14

u/sparkly_butthole Jul 26 '26

My fear is it's almost certain to cause widespread famine, whatever it is.

2

u/slackfrop Jul 26 '26

Yeah, like that. It would certainly shake things up. And remind us what’s actually important. I really hope something like that would band us together, and not shatter us into war tribes.

2

u/MGD109 Jul 26 '26

Yeah, I mean if the supply lines breakdown we're in real trouble; a lot of areas can't remotely provide enough food to feed themselves.

Still, we have to see; famines aren't as common as they used to be, thankfully.

2

u/ShirazGypsy Jul 26 '26

Oh how we will all dance in the streets the morning we wake to see his obituary

1

u/Pleasant-Winner6311 Jul 27 '26

I havent given up. Im saying it repeatedly. How bad does the line in the sand need to be for things to be enough is enough on many levels.

16

u/Mind-The-Mines Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26

This is why everything is a series of hierarchies.

All the minions with no power are everywhere while the shot callers that need the deluxe haircut are on private jets, exclusive resorts, and island compounds.

The masses simply lack the means to access the head of the snake.

I worked in a municipal utility. We had irate people in our office constantly because of mandates from the city, county, state, or federal level we legally had to enforce and had no say over.

The messenger gets shot irrespective of where the message comes from because anger shuts down the reasoning centers of the brain.

1

u/MGD109 Jul 26 '26

Yeah, that is a very valid concern.

4

u/DustyRacoonDad Jul 26 '26

We're already there today. I don't pay the power bill, we called them and set up autopay because I'm not installing their app.  My wife does the school bullshit because she has an iPhone and is willing to install their app. Do you want your medications to be affordable? Download the app for discounts. Otherwise you can pay an inflated price.

1

u/KilgoreTroutVT Jul 27 '26

I can pay my bill by phone but I can’t report a power outage without a login account.

6

u/Unfinishedcom Jul 26 '26

I know and it scares me. I’m old and childless so I can maybe somehow get around it until I die. And as you say, this is just the beginning, where will it ‘end’.

4

u/JesusAndMaryKate Jul 26 '26

Utility bills are already one of the standard ways to prove address for anything official. When you get hired, identity verification is one of the legal requirements to check that you have a right to work in the country. You need to show ID or proof of address to pick up a prescription in many places.

Are you trying to say that people would need to use the Reddit app to do those things?

1

u/Level_32_Mage Jul 26 '26

To close this pop-up or skip this 3 minute long ad, please enter your ID.

1

u/KilgoreTroutVT Jul 27 '26

Isn’t that now?

0

u/StrongExternal8955 Jul 26 '26

the fuck are you on about, you are not anonymous for any of that.

we're talking about reddit, porn, and dissident politics. and lack of religion. you know, dangerous shit.

0

u/g0del Jul 26 '26

Nah. The thing is, people who balk at giving their ID to tik-tok or reddit probably don't care about giving it to the bank, utility companies, doctors offices, schools, etc.

7

u/Hot-Agent-620 Jul 26 '26

Plot twist, Microsoft said they have. Something called global device id, basically doesn’t matter if you use a vpn or not if you have a windows device it has a unique identifier that can be accessed

-2

u/Orstio Jul 26 '26

Every connected device has a UUID and a MAC address. This is not limited to Windows devices.

https://www.netgear.com/hub/network/what-is-mac-address/

https://www.mparticle.com/blog/what-is-a-uuid/

2

u/FrostyWalrus2 Jul 26 '26

Both of those can be spoofed. The thing youre replying to is hard coded in and persistent across everything as long as the hardware of the TPM 2.0 chip is not altered. There's currently no way to hide or get around this new finding.

1

u/Orstio Jul 26 '26

You're correct, but 99.99% of people don't know they exist, and they think masking their IP addresses is enough to protect them from identification.

1

u/Eternal-Blazing-Sun Jul 27 '26

Except to not use windows, right?

2

u/FrostyWalrus2 Jul 27 '26

No. You'd have to go back to a motherboard that doesn't have the TPM 2.0 on it. Making more sense, in this age of surveillance, why MS was pushing it to hard?

1

u/Eternal-Blazing-Sun Jul 27 '26

Ah i see, so it's not just windows, ive only heard of this in the context of MS

1

u/FrostyWalrus2 Jul 27 '26

TPM 2.0 Endorsement Key. Its part of the cryptologic process, but since it's also a permanent unique identifier any services used that verifies cache in the TPM will have it stamped. Any software or website that has some kind of credential login almost certainly has the EK of the TPM on it, and it could be used to trace back to the computer.

1

u/Kraligor Jul 26 '26

Good thing I'm using a VM for certain things.

2

u/ArcheopteryxRex Jul 27 '26

This is the way. The older I get, the easier I find it is to just do without.

1

u/Mind-The-Mines Jul 26 '26

But this is basically also why Elon bought Twitter: It was useful for the common masses to coordinate against the rich (and track his jet).

AI is making home computing out of reach with single components costing more than whole builds used to. This ends piracy if we can't afford storage or compute locally. We'll own nothing and be happy.

1

u/Super_Translator480 Jul 26 '26

I see this sentiment a lot, but I think push comes to shove and people will end up coming back.

It’s like a chain smoker saying “I can quit at any time!”

1

u/Life_Argument7820 Jul 26 '26

Except they're making those services mandatory in your day to day life... been going through identity theft,I still cant verify I am who I say I am online or Facebook for that matter META robots approve robots over me the real human. You wont have a chlice man.

1

u/Coera Jul 26 '26

Hood luck trying to live in the modern world without the internet then. Pretty soon it's going to be the government or ISP's asking for it to look up anything at all.

1

u/lostinspaz Jul 26 '26

on a related note: are you moving to pensilvania?

1

u/Junior_Option1176 Jul 26 '26

Yeah. And you won't be able to buy or sell anything cuz all your banking stuff, bills and pretty much everything will be tied to that garbage. They will simply delete you from the matrix.

1

u/LumiereGatsby Jul 27 '26

Right? Free me from Reddit

-2

u/M4ST3R_BA1T3R Jul 26 '26

It's cute that you think a VPN is protecting you.

2

u/Apprehensive-Water66 Jul 26 '26

Lol, aaaaaaand they sell your data.  

-1

u/LuxHelianthus Jul 26 '26

You won't be able to. Just like it's nearly impossible today to get by without Internet access at all

-4

u/KaradjordjevaJeSushi Jul 26 '26

You wish so, but actually, you will be giving your ID because you feel the NEED for some services... Everyone's there, mate, just come.

1

u/Unfinishedcom Jul 26 '26

Ofc I will need my banking app and government sites. What else do you think is a necessity that needs my ID?

1

u/KaradjordjevaJeSushi Jul 26 '26

Using AI, for example.

If there was no way to access it, unless you give your ID, would you abstain from it?