This is the famous statement more than a decade ago from Marc Andreeson, founder of Netscape and Silicon Valley venture capitalist.
Generative AI is a new form of compute. It is going to be the basis for Web 3.0. The Internet would not exist without the personal computer. Hence, when we frame the discussion in this manner, I do not think Web 3.0 will have any basis without AI.
That means the primary focus is going to be on AI. It will be the only thing that matters. In this article we will discuss this concept and why the direction of things suddenly changed.
Actually, it is in alignment with what is taking place throughout the entire digital world. Web 3.0 is the next generation Internet.
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Web 3.0: AI Internet
AI is disrupting a lot of things.
If we consider this to be a skyscraper of 100 stories, we are around the 2nd or 3rd floor. That is how early in the game we are.
While we saw a lot of advancement in the last 24 months, as they say, we ain't seen nothing yet. The next few years likely will lead to an "intelligence" burst that will stun many. Few are looking at things in these terms. The world is, quite frankly, asleep to what is taking place.
Some are calling for a new Cambrian Explosion, this time within the synthetic realm.
The growth of the present Internet is astounding. What took place over the last 35 years is very impressive. The next generation, however, will do little to resemble what we have today.
I call Web 3.0 "The AI Internet" because that is what it is.
If we look at the Internet, this connected billions of computers around the world. It took a single device, the PC (and latter evolutions including smartphones) and allowed them to communicate with each other.
Web 3.0 is going to do the same thing. It will allow AI to communication.
AI Agents
The next evolution of the AI race is going to be agents.
These are entities that are designed to perform certain tasks. We are going to see the development of tens of billions of these.
Much like the personal computer, on their own they aren't worth a great deal. It is great that someone can generate one to handle certain functions for him or herself. However, the major value appreciation occurs when that agent can interact with millions of other agents.
Basically we can look at this as the Internet of Agents.
This should come as no surprise. Computers are already taking over Internet traffic. It is estimated that more than half of the activity online is generated by computers. We are only going to see this grow, especially with generative AI.
As agents are built, they are going to automate a lot of tasks. This will be everything from summarizing and posting news to booking airline tickets Over time, each of us will have an agent that is effectively our own personal AI assistant. businesses are also going to have this as a way to interact with customers (who actually are other AI agents).
This is going to be the basis of the Internet. Websites will disappear, at least in their present form. If one is providing information, services, and resources to agents, what need is there for a website. The agent for the business simply handles that.
The Dead Internet Theory
We might be entering a time where the Dead Internet Theory is coming true.
While there are a few different definitions/viewpoints on this, basically we will focus upon the idea that overwhelming majority of traffic on the Internet be done by computers.
Since we are most likely at majority, it seems like only a matter of time before most of it is generated in such a fashion.
With AI agents, this makes sense.
People will not deal with the Internet at large. Instead, individual interaction with be with one's agent. That will be the mechanism which engages with the wider Internet (Web 3.0). Whatever we need will be retrieves by the agent.
AI Is The Only Thing That Matters
Forecasting can be tough. This is a thesis of where things are going. It is based upon growing trends which are occurring right now.
For this reason, entrepreneurs and developers are best served thinking in these terms. The shift is going to take place quickly. Digital platforms will still exist, simply in different forms. The webpage was the basis for the Internet over the past 30 years. That is going to change.
In the near term, we will see AI integrated throughout existing websites. That said, I believe the basis for the future, at least to some degree, is going to be chatbots. It will be the foundation for the platforms.
Of course, platforms will have to provide a wide range of services. This is where differentiation enters. Networks essentially are going to become commodities. LLMs are already moving in this direction since most of the same data is being used. This means further breakdown is where the value is going to reside.
Social media completely change the Internet of the 1990s. Things emerged in ways we never envisioned. The same is true for today.
In a decade, what we refer to as the Internet is going to be completely different. Planning ahead is going to provide builders with some foresight as to the direction to take things.
It is safe to say that nothing in the digital world is going to remain the same.