A growing concern among digital commentators is whether artificial intelligence is irreversibly distorting the internet. Once a conspiracy, dead internet theory now reflects widespread anxiety about AI-generated content and its impact on online authenticity. AI-written articles, spam-like social posts and misinformation have contributed to fears that human-created content is being overwhelmed. Alex Hern, AI writer at The Economist, explains how user behaviour mimicking algorithms helped the idea take root, while Isis Blachez from NewsGuard outlines how Russian-linked sites are laundering propaganda to influence AI outputs. Mark Graham, Director of the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive, describes how the organisation is adapting its efforts to preserve online content in a post-AI era.

Presenter: Ros Atkins