Did you hear about Wikitok?
This is a start up that takes Wikipedia articles and allows users to swipe on them similiar to TikTok videos. This brings on more distribution of the same content, something that we are seeing across the Internet.
One of the hooks for Wikitok is that it will not use algorithms to track users. This could hold some appeal although it might backfire. More on that in a bit.
As we move into the Web 3.0 era, we have to focus upon the distribution of data. We are rapidly entering a world that is driven by it. This startup shows that we are not just dealing with AI. Repurposing is crucial as platforms take over.
WikiTok Showing The Spread Of Information
We have to be clear, this is a Web 2.0 application. Evidently, the one behind this is not aware of crypto incentivization. Perhaps, now that I write this, there is an opportunity for others.
The idea behind this is to allow users to encounter random information. On the surface this seems like a good idea but will it work? Randomness can be exciting or it could be boring.
For example, if I was scrolling through getting a host of articles I have no interest in, how long will that appeal to me? Consider all the topics that we do not like. There are many things each of us has no interest in. Statistical probability is such that many of those articles will be in our feed.
While I understand the concept, this is really counter to the shift into AI.
Since the start of the Internet becoming popular, the fight is to curate content in a way that will appease the users. It is the general essence of search engines. The idea there was to provide users with the information they sought. Social media followed up on this.
Surveillance capitalism is a nasty practice. However, as they say, if you aren't paying for the product, then you are the product. People want the billions of dollars of services for free. Well, as we know, there is a price to pay.
However, it is not all negative. Recommend engines are important. Over the years, they did get a bit better. We use them on Netflix, Spotify, and when reading mainstream media articles. It is everywhere.
AI seeks to take this to another level.
Platform Curation And Personalization
The future I see unfolding puts the platform at the center of everything. As online services collapse due to AI capabilities being democratized, what is going to draw people together. To me, it is the platform.
From this baseline, we have the knowledge generated by all the data, including preferences. AI systems will enable personalization for content, services, and information. It will be based upon the historical activity of the user. As more services are built, the "profile" expands, allowing the system to better know the individual.
The exciting part is that when this is done on a Web 3.0 platform, one where the data is, to a large degree, on the blockchain, then AI agents can be built utilizing this data. This is a key point. If we look at X, it could do the same thing. However, it will not have anything to do with YouTube or Facebook. We also see any information about our Netflix viewing habits or purchases from Amazon.
Web 2.0 is a siloed system. Web 3.0 takes the one follower list and puts it on steroids. It is the Rubicon crossing that so many are seeking.
For this reason, the building of AI services on these platforms is crucial. Early generative AI services are forming in the same manner as the rest of Web 2.0. We see individual applications rolling out, disconnected from anything else.
Web 3.0 can alter this by having much of the output posted to a blockchain. If a level of encryption is added, this could further push this as a public database.
A Complete Change In Habits
The digital world continues to be automated. This is a trend that will not stop.
What we have to determine is how we, as humans, get the desired results we are seeking. Leaving things to random chance isn't a part of technological evolution.
If we look at calculations, we know humans are flawed. Adding up a column of numbers with a calculator can result in errors if the numbers are not properly entered. It gets worse if people are doing the calculations in their heads.
We never question, however, the results when Excel or another program does it. When it comes to adding up numbers, the output is never in doubt.
Generative AI, in its many forms, will move in this direction. We have to remember it is still early. There is a lot of development which will take place. For this reason, we should not write anything off due to shortcomings. Remember, this is the worst the technology will ever be.
If my forecast of the website dying, what are we left with? Where will be go for the services we require?
This is where the future gets murky. What will the new Internet look like? How will entities such as Wikipedia survive when it was designed in a Webpage based world?
The conclusion I reach is information is going to spread out even more. We are dealing with the largest copy machine in the world. With generative AI, it suddenly is turning into a creator of information also.
Some of this is for computer consumption, some for human. That is the challenge ahead of everyone.