The Open Web Is Being Replaced by Centralized AI Interfaces
The bagel they save for the regulars. Don't skim, savour.
Summary
The article argues that the open, decentralized Web as we know it—where users search, browse, publish, and discover freely—is being gradually replaced by more centralized, convenient, and harder-to-escape interfaces like AI chat systems and mobile apps. The author reflects on decades of interface shifts (from floppy disks to BBSs, the Web, Flash, mobile apps, and now AI) and warns that each generation believes its current interface will last forever, but it never does. The piece is a personal, reflective commentary on the erosion of the open web in favor of walled gardens and AI-driven experiences.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledEvery generation of computing believes the interface it loves will last forever. It never does.
The Web will not vanish overnight, but the Web as we know it, the open place where people search, click, read, browse, publish, and discover, is already being replaced by something more convenient, more centralized, and much harder to escape.
I saw information move from floppy disks to BBSs, from BBSs to the Web, from the Web to Flash, from Flash back to open standards, from websites to mobile apps, and now from search engines to AI chat interfaces.
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