The numbers don't lie. Over the past three years, my traffic has plummeted by a staggering 75%. It’s a slow bleed—month by month, the dip in traffic and income seems manageable, almost insignificant. But when I look at the broader picture, it’s devastating. The decline is substantial. I've already downgraded my server to half of what it was in 2009. My server company is losing $1000 a month just from my account alone. The impact is more than financial; it's personal. This is my livelihood.
I fear that AI-generated spam will flood the internet (already happening since this update in July 2024), making it impossible for genuine, human-created content to get ranked. People may lose trust in natural search results and be pushed into an AI-driven world. It's terrifying, really.
The thing is: AI isn't advanced enough yet to provide real, trustworthy answers. But people are forced to rely on it because they have no other choice? When Google is providing the wrong information to users --- then they will sue. As USA is a culture like that. The days of small, independent publishers like me could be numbered. Even a Google employee left and said the whole AI thing is hype and they are over-investing and it will come crashing down.
Imagine a future where the internet is dominated by a few websites (or is this already happening?) Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Reddit, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, news sites-- and maybe a few other very small search engines. Smaller publishers will be forgotten. Google will dictate what content gets seen; only (if we are lucky) the smaller websites with the "right" reputation will survive. Everything else will be shut down. Human content, and human experiences will all replaced by robotic information.
If Google doesn't whitelist OLD smaller publishers, or those that have human-created written content, the whole way we read information (and peoples experiences) will become extinct. Server companies will go bankrupt as there will be no websites left to host. Domain registrars will collapse too—why register a domain if you can't get any traffic? AI will monopolize the internet, rendering human written communication obsolete. And, this is not science fiction; it's a looming reality. And what's worse, spammers will invade platforms like Reddit and Quora and social media --- turning even social media into junk.
People might shift to social media for information and search, but how sustainable is that? Videos will replace written content as publishers try to make a living, but the ecosystem can't handle the sheer volume, and in the end, the publishers will give up. I am worried that there will be a total collapse within five years. Google will rake in crazy profits, holding a monopoly with AI search (that does not or will not) perform properly, people will sue them for providing the wrong information based on the AI, and news sites will sue them on copyright infringement, server companies, and domain registers will sue them for ruining their business. When the government finally steps in to save what's left, it will be too late. Laws will be passed to stop AI, and then it all crashes down.
And, it’s not just about the money anymore. It’s about the loss of various human voices, the cool, funny, witty information we use to find on someone’s blog, and the loss of human touch. The internet was supposed to be a space for everyone, where ideas could move around freely. Now, it seems like it's on the brink of being one blimming big massive robot. And I can't help but wonder—what happens to all of us when that day comes?
Plus, who's to say that someone (anyone? Apple?) sits back and sees all this and just creates another Google as people will shift over to a decent search alternative immediately as Google is not doing what the user wants.
And through all this, I think OpenAI search will fail, there is not enough people invested in AI --- Google themselves make themselves obsolete.
Those are some realities right now and fears. Signed - a worried publisher
[edited by: Samsam1978 at 4:50 pm (utc) on Jul 29, 2024]
