I’m not a doom-and-gloomer.
I’m excited about how technology has the potential to radically change our future for the better.
And few technologies today are as compelling as artificial intelligence.
I use AI pretty much every day now, and I see a path forward where it makes life easier and more fulfilling for everyone.
So you won’t hear me say that AI is about to end the world.
But artificial intelligence is about to change how we use the internet.
Here’s how…
Web1… 2…
If you’re like me, you can recall the old days of the internet.
Back in the early 1990s — an era known as Web1 — most web pages were read-only static sites. You found a page, you read it and you moved on.
But that’s not how you use the internet today.
Instead, you typically use a search engine like Google to find a list of websites that cater to the topic you’re interested in.
Most websites today are dynamic read-write pages where content is created by other people, advertising creates revenue and user information can be sold as a commodity.
This is Web2.
It’s a place where social networks, blogs and dynamic content have become the norm. A place where online content is being produced constantly, and where these content creators often make money from ads when you visit their sites.
At least, that’s the way the system has worked for decades now.
But AI is shaking things up.
That’s because new AI tools can create their own content and sum up information without ever sending you to other websites.
You might have already experienced this on your phone or a search engine. It’s like having a super-smart assistant that reads everything for you and gives you the main points.
And it can be incredibly convenient.
Personally, I like how I can now ask Siri a question and get a summary response without digging through links for more information.
But my convenience comes at a cost to others. Because fewer clicks and less money from ads makes it tougher for writers and website owners to earn a living.
And it’s just one of the ways AI is shaking up the internet today.
We’ve talked about the global trust deficit. As AI gets better at making deepfakes of videos, photos and text it’s going to get harder to know what’s authentic online.
You’ve probably already scrolled through social media and had a hard time figuring out if a video is real or made by AI.
I know I have. And in the future this problem is only going to get worse.
So what can we do about it?
That’s where blockchain technology comes in.
Web3
I’ve already shown you already how the blockchain could revolutionize science and even mobile networks.
That’s because the blockchain is like a digital record book that can’t be changed without everyone agreeing.
And that’s a key factor behind the next phase of the internet.
It’s called Web3.
And it’s a revolutionary new internet focused on ownership and decentralization.
That’s because the blockchain can help prove who owns what online.
This will help creators control how their work is used by making it traceable even if it’s altered by AI.
What’s more, the blockchain can also prove if something is real or fake.
It can track if photos or videos have been changed, which will make it harder for fake content to spread.
It can also help prove if you’re a real person and not a computer program.
And that’s crucial for whatever the internet turns into going forward. We need to know who is making content… what’s real… and who has ownership of what’s online.
In a perfect world, Web3 will be like going from a few big shopping malls owned by large companies to having lots of independent stores that follow rules set by the community.
Which is a lot closer to the original goal of the internet: to be an open and free space for the exchange of ideas.
Of course, we don’t live in a perfect world…
But that doesn’t mean Web3 is a far-off fantasy,
As you can see from this chart:
Source:.thebusinessresearchcompany.com
The blockchain is already being rapidly integrated into the internet.
I believe you’ll start noticing a lot of these changes happening in 2025.
And with an estimated compound annual growth rate of 42.6% over the next 3 years…
I believe there’s an opportunity here for investors to get in early on Web3 companies focused on data and privacy issues.
Regards,
Ian King
Chief Strategist, Banyan Hill Publishing
