The Internet is Dying. We Can Still Stop It (news.itsfoss.com)
from Zerush@lemmy.ml to technology@lemmy.ml on 06 Nov 2025 15:09
https://lemmy.ml/post/38598230

The Internet faces an existential crisis as nearly 50% of all traffic is now non-human, with AI-generated content and bots threatening to overwhelm authentic human interaction[^1]. According to recent studies, this includes automated programs responsible for 49.6% of web traffic in 2023, a trend accelerated by AI models scraping content[^1].

The problems are stark:

• Search engines flooded with AI-generated content optimized for algorithms rather than humans
• Social media platforms filled with AI “slop” and automated responses
• Genuine human content being drowned out by machine-generated noise
• Erosion of trusted information sources and shared truth

However, concrete solutions exist:

1. Technical Defenses:

• Open-source spam filtering tools like mosparo for protecting website forms
• AI scraper blocking through systems like Anubis
• Content authenticity verification via the CAI SDK[^1]

1. Community Building:

• Supporting decentralized social networks (Mastodon, Lemmy)
• Using open-source forum platforms that emphasize human moderation
• Participating in curated communities with active fact-checking[^1]

1. Individual Actions:

• Using privacy-focused browsers and search engines
• Supporting trusted news sources and independent creators
• Being conscious of data sharing and digital footprint[^1]

“While exposure to AI-generated misinformation does make people more worried about the quality of information available online, it can also increase the value they attach to outlets with reputations for credibility,” notes a 2025 study by Campante[^1].

[^1]: It’s FOSS - The Internet is Dying. We Can Still Stop It

#technology