Web 3.0 is officially here (And of course, it's AI. This affects everyone, not just computer geeks)

[usonian]

https://tonysull.co/articles/web-3-is-here/
The web is moving from an ad platform to an AI training platform.

and that's a big deal.

OpenAI opened Pandora’s box in more ways than they’re given credit for. Not only did they make impressive (and dangerous) gains of function compared to previous machine learning tools, they opened the door for a new way of monetizing online content.

...

Online advertising isn’t the same business it used to be. It’s even harder to really track value gained from online ads and the game of cat and mouse with ad blockers will never end. Luckily for online businesses, OpenAI created value where it didn’t previously exist.

If you can throw up walls around user-generated content and control access, you can sell that to anyone wanting to train an LLM.

...

Where Web 2.0 focused on content creators selling ads by knowing intimate details of every visitor, Web 3.0 will focus on getting users to create as much content as possible inside of a walled garden.

So, according to this article, web sites will shift from selling ads to selling their content to those who need their reams of "training" data? And who might that be? Or will they use it internally (as Musk seems to hint at) in their own products, whatever those might be:

Could this be autos?, appliances?, "smart" eyeglasses and AR devices (i.e. Apple)?, Political parties and governments?

Hint: https://www.dhs.gov/publication/us-department-homeland-security-artificial-intelligence-strategy

The Department of Homeland Security will enhance its capability to safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values through the responsible integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the Department’s activities and by mitigating new risks posed by AI.

So, one has to ask, safeguard the American people, homeland and values from WHAT? And which values?
And the kicker is using AI to mitigate against risks of AI.

Says a lot, and leaves a lot unsaid in a short sentence, like what trove of "training data" are they using.

Not to pick on DHS alone. It seems that everyone is playing this game lately, or will be playing it shortly.

[MiHale]

1. Internet started as such a wonderful thing then...

Capitalism wrecked it all. Oh well, it was a fun run.

[usonian]

3. I was there! When "dot com" was invented. Oh, the deluge of crap.

Search engines; there were several, and nobody had a money model, which devolved into advertising and hence, surveillance capitalism, as "targeted ads" became the rage.

You had some trolls on usenet, and some limited "social sites" ... AOL?

The other big downward turn was when sites like FB decided to lock in eyeballs even more by becoming "your news source", feeding news that agreed with your views, creating echo chambers ....

Oh well. Let's see where this latest turn of events leads.

Something REALLY social is needed, more like DU.

[MiHale]

4. In the army...

We were on the ARPANET, I was in nuclear weapons development tech and maintenance. First civilian usage was the BBS. That led eventually to Voyager.net a service provider but that was years after I got out of the Army. Long a twisted road. Never did the AOL crap. Didn’t have to pay for access for a real long time, late ninety’s I do believe.

[usonian]

5. I was in aerospace and then university when it all changed.

Service years were 1971-1975.

My first exposure to tech was vacuum tubes.

[MiHale]

8. 👍👍

[Initech]

6. Only furthers my theory that advertising ruins everything.

[FakeNoose]

2. This is another major assault on privacy

I would never use my cellphone for surfing the internet. I didn't do it before, but now-a-days it's ludicrous.

[Angleae]

7. And people wonder why I still carry a flip-phone.

Well, that and it fits in my pocket comfortably.