For decades, the “world wide web” was defined by links, search bars, and the slow thrill of discovery. Users typed a query into Google, clicked through pages, and wandered across websites funded largely by advertising. Today, that model is quietly unraveling. AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are becoming the primary gateways to information—compressing the internet into a single, conversational interface.
The Internet Is Flattening
Traditional search once required movement: from query to link to website, with ads and discovery layered along the way. That journey created economic value for publishers and advertisers alike. But as AI replaces search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo, users increasingly get what they need without clicking anywhere at all. Instead of browsing Reddit or TikTok, they ask AI—and receive a complete, personalized answer on the spot.
This flattening mirrors changes already underway on social platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, where discovery and consumption happen entirely on-platform. AI takes this a step further by eliminating the need for discovery altogether.
For now, AI-generated content is largely limited to summaries, explanations, and images. But that boundary is dissolving. As platforms experiment with video, music, and social features—such as OpenAI’s Sora—users could one day request “Pirates of the Caribbean Six” or a new album in the style of The Beatles, and receive fully generated entertainment instantly. At that point, discovery isn’t just flattened—it disappears.
Trust, Ads, and the Closing Web
This shift exposes what’s been called “Schrödinger’s trust in AI”: users rely on AI for unfamiliar topics while doubting it on subjects they know well. Still, adoption continues to grow. Research from MIDiA shows consumers primarily use AI for information and task assistance, even as trust erodes.
The economic fallout is already visible. A July study cited by The Guardian found that AI summaries reduced click-throughs to underlying websites by up to 80%. As traffic declines, so does ad revenue—the lifeblood of the open web. In response, publishers are moving toward closed, subscription-based models like The Economist, Netflix, and Substack.
The internet’s structure is changing at a foundational level. As AI becomes the primary interface to information, marketers, publishers, and advertisers must adapt to AI-driven discovery, shrinking ad inventory, and a future dominated by paywalls—or risk being left behind in a closed, subscription-first web.
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