在 2000 年代，互联网上充斥着博客文章和猫咪视频。有时感觉杂乱无章，但你无需思考帖子背后是否有一个真实的人。
But over the past few years, many have said the internet feels a little different. And in the early 2020s, people started talking about something called the “dead internet theory.” It says the internet is no longer fully human, and much of what we see online is created by bots and AI.
但在过去几年里，许多人感觉互联网似乎有些不同了。进入 2020 年代初期，人们开始谈论一种被称为”死互联网理论”的观点。该理论认为互联网已不再完全由人类主导，我们在网上看到的许多内容都是由机器人和人工智能生成的。
Many people think a fully “dead” internet will never happen. But according to a new study, we may be moving toward it faster than we think.
许多人认为一个完全”死寂”的互联网永远不会出现。但根据一项新研究，我们可能正以比想象中更快的速度走向这种局面。
Researchers in the US and the UK looked at websites from 2022 to 2025 using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, to find out how much new text on the internet is created by AI.
美国和英国的研究人员利用互联网档案馆的”时光机”功能，查看了 2022 年至 2025 年的网站，以探究互联网上新增文本中有多少是由人工智能生成的。
The researchers found that, by May 2025, about 35% of new websites were being created with the help of AI. And 18% were fully made by AI.
研究人员发现，到 2025 年 5 月，约有 35% 的新网站在 AI 的协助下创建。而 18% 则完全由 AI 制作完成。
This was up from zero in 2022, before ChatGPT was released.
这一数字在 2022 年 ChatGPT 发布前为零。
The researchers also tested for six common problems in AI writing, including things like whether it creates more false information, whether it forgets to show its sources, and if it makes all writing sound the same.
研究人员还测试了人工智能写作中常见的六个问题，包括是否会产生更多虚假信息、是否忘记注明来源，以及是否使所有写作听起来千篇一律。
Surprisingly, only two of the six problems seemed to be true: AI made writing less varied, and it made the internet more positive. But it did not clearly increase false information or forget sources.
令人惊讶的是，六个问题中似乎只有两个是真实的：人工智能让写作变得不那么多样化，并且让互联网更加积极。但它并没有明显增加虚假信息或忘记来源。
Jonas Dolezal, one of the researchers, told 404 Media that the speed with which AI is taking over the internet is “quite staggering.” The team is now working with the Internet Archive to monitor this in real time, to better understand AI’s impact on the internet.
其中一位研究员乔纳斯·多莱扎尔告诉 404 Media，人工智能接管互联网的速度”相当惊人”。该团队目前正与互联网档案馆合作，实时监测这一现象，以更好地理解人工智能对互联网的影响。
But over the past few years, many have said the internet feels a little different. And in the early 2020s, people started talking about something called the “dead internet theory.” It says the internet is no longer fully human, and much of what we see online is created by bots and AI.
Many people think a fully “dead” internet will never happen. But according to a new study, we may be moving toward it faster than we think.
Researchers in the US and the UK looked at websites from 2022 to 2025 using the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, to find out how much new text on the internet is created by AI.
The researchers found that, by May 2025, about 35% of new websites were being created with the help of AI. And 18% were fully made by AI.
This was up from zero in 2022, before ChatGPT was released.
The researchers also tested for six common problems in AI writing, including things like whether it creates more false information, whether it forgets to show its sources, and if it makes all writing sound the same.
Surprisingly, only two of the six problems seemed to be true: AI made writing less varied, and it made the internet more positive. But it did not clearly increase false information or forget sources.
Jonas Dolezal, one of the researchers, told 404 Media that the speed with which AI is taking over the internet is “quite staggering.” The team is now working with the Internet Archive to monitor this in real time, to better understand AI’s impact on the internet.
theory
Noun
ˈθiːəriː
an idea or set of ideas intended to explain something
My dad believes in a lot of conspiracy theories and insists the moon landing was faked.
source
Noun
sɔːrs
a person or document that gives information for a study, news story, etc.
Don’t forget to list your sources at the end of the essay.
varied
Adjective
ˈverid, ˈværid
including a large number of different types, elements, etc.
With everything from sloths to toucans, Colombia’s wildlife is extremely varied.
take over
Phrasal Verb
teɪk ˈoʊvər
to start controlling or being responsible for something
When my father retired, my sister decided to take over the family business.
staggering
Adjective
ˈstæɡərɪŋ
extremely shocking
The costs of his medical bills are truly staggering.
monitor
Verb
ˈmɑːnɪtər
to watch and check someone or something for a period of time
The machine monitors your heart rate.
1.When did people start talking about the dead internet theory?
2.As of May 2025, what percentage of new websites were fully made by AI?
3.How many common problems in AI writing did the researchers test for?
Discussion
Have a discussion based on the following questions.
Have you heard of the dead internet theory before? Do you think the internet will ever be fully “dead”?
How do you feel about the speed at which AI is taking over the internet?
How often do you come across AI-generated content online?
How important is it to you that online content is created by humans?
Do you think the internet feels different these days?
How has the internet changed since you first started using it?
Do you tend to get annoyed when websites make changes?
What sites do you spend the most time on?
How long do you think you’d be able to last without internet access?
In what ways do you think life was better before the internet?