How AI could change the internet

Yahoo

21-02-2025

In today's digital age, where endless scrolling and algorithmic feeds can dominate our waking hours, a tech innovator warns of an imminent crisis — and offers a radical remedy.
On this week's episode of Yahoo Finance Future Focus, Outlier Ventures chairman Jamie Burke delved into the future of the internet, exploring whether it's destined to become a digital wasteland overrun by bots and shallow AI-generated content or if a powerful blend of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology can pave the way for a new era of intentional, meaningful online experiences.
This vision is known as the "post web".
For decades, the design of the modern web has hinged on a simple yet powerful business model — capture and retain user attention. According to Burke, this has led to a paradoxical digital experience.
'The web as an interface for people to do things over the internet has really formed around the attention economy,' he explained. 'We're doing things we'd rather not be doing. We settle for good enough, rather than necessarily the best outcome, simply because our attention is hijacked by algorithms engineered to keep us scrolling.'
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The digital landscape, he argues, is deliberately structured to distract and fragment our focus, often steering us toward suboptimal outcomes and shallow engagement. In essence, our online behavior has been reduced to a series of clicks and swipes that feed advertising revenues rather than meaningful interactions.
But what if the nature of our digital interactions could be transformed? Burke sees a future where artificial intelligence plays a pivotal role in shifting the focus from an attention economy to what he calls an 'intention economy.'
'Most people, by now, are using tools like ChatGPT — so much so that it might have already replaced traditional methods like Google search,' Burke said.
'When you input a query into a chatbot, you're expressing an intent — essentially telling the AI exactly what you want. This isn't just about finding information, it's about efficiently accomplishing tasks without the endless interruptions that characterise our current web experience.'
In the future, AI-powered agents could carry out complex workflows on behalf of users. Instead of navigating a labyrinth of advertisements and distracting content, individuals could simply state their intentions and have sophisticated algorithms coordinate the necessary actions behind the scenes.
'You put out your intention, and the internet coordinates around solving that as effectively as possible,' said Burke.
At the heart of Burke's vision is the rise of intelligent agents — advanced AI systems that can handle increasingly complex tasks. These agents would be autonomous entities capable of making decisions, sourcing the best information, and even executing transactions on behalf of their users.
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However, as we delegate more responsibilities to these digital intermediaries, the issue of security and trust becomes paramount. The answer, according to Burke, lies in integrating blockchain technology into this emerging digital framework.
Blockchain, with its inherent features of decentralisation and immutability, offers the verifiability and security that AI agents require to operate safely and effectively.
'Blockchain technologies allow for characteristics such as sovereignty, permissioning, greater levels of security, and ultimately, ownership,' Burke said.
He envisions a future where every digital transaction — whether it involves tangible assets like cryptocurrencies or intangible ones like personal data — is recorded in a way that can be independently verified. This could give users with more control over their information and interactions.
'Agents will select different blockchains for different tasks,' Burke said. He thinks a range of blockchain platforms could coexist, each tailored to specific functions and requirements.
Another concern is the potential for malicious AI agents to disrupt or exploit these systems.
Burke pointed to a recent news story in which a woman was duped into believing she had formed a relationship with a digital facsimile of actor Brad Pitt. In this case, AI-generated images and videos were weaponised to perpetrate fraud.
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'This is perhaps an extreme example of the weaponisation of AI,' Burke warned. 'Not all agents are there to be helpful and nice; some are going to be malicious. Some are going to try to hijack and defraud both people and other agents.'
It is critical that any new digital infrastructure is built on a foundation of robust security and trust, according to Burke.
Another aspect of Burke's vision is reclaiming digital sovereignty. In the current landscape, users are often at the mercy of platforms that control not only the content they consume but also the data they generate. By leveraging blockchain's decentralised architecture, it becomes possible to restore a sense of ownership and control to the individual.
'Imagine an internet where you don't have to surrender your personal data or trust a single centralised platform with your digital identity,' Burke said. In this model, blockchain would enable users to set precise permissions — defining what an AI agent can and cannot do on their behalf.
This could pave the way for a more ethical and user-centric internet, where interactions are based on verifiable trust rather than opaque algorithms.
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