Thoughts about AI generated content and it’s future irrelevance

The Future of AI-Generated Content: Challenges and Considerations for Digital Trust

As artificial intelligence continues to advance at a rapid pace, a pressing question emerges: what will the landscape of digital content look like in a future dominated by AI-generated material? Is there a way to trust the authenticity and integrity of this content once AI becomes the primary creator?

One significant concern revolves around the concept of “model collapse,” which I refer to as the “believability collapse.” Imagine a scenario where a specific domain—such as job listings—is predominantly populated with AI-produced content. If every posting looks flawless and perfectly tailored, how can employers and job seekers discern genuine opportunities from AI fabrication?

In the pre-AI era, evaluating a resume provided meaningful insights into a candidate’s thought process and communication skills. A well-crafted resume could demonstrate professionalism, attention to detail, and authenticity. Conversely, a poorly written one might reveal shortcomings. Today, AI capabilities make it possible for virtually all resumes to appear polished, aligned precisely with job requirements, and free of errors—rendering the traditional signals of authenticity virtually meaningless. As a result, resumes risk becoming little more than digital business cards—formatted, but lacking substantive authenticity.

This trend extends beyond resumes to all forms of mediated communication—emails, text messages, voice messages, and more. In a future where AI-generated content is ubiquitous, every message could potentially be artificial. This raises the idea that we may need labels such as “crafted by a human” or “generated by AI” to help differentiate the source of content. Alternatively, implementing real-time biometric authentication could verify the identity of participants in a conversation, human or AI, ensuring trustworthiness. Without such measures, we might be forced to assume that any communication could be AI-produced, undermining its credibility.

The implications are profound: if trust in digital communication erodes, the value of relying on these mediums diminishes. Face-to-face interactions may regain importance as the only dependable form of genuine human connection. This begs the question—if revitalizing old-fashioned, non-mediated interactions becomes necessary, what is the point of investing heavily in AI systems in the first place?

In summary, the rapid proliferation of AI-generated content risks undermining the very foundations of trust across digital media—be it text, audio, video, or images—and could diminish the relevance of internet-based communication altogether. The potential for a “Dark Forest” scenario, where the proliferation of distrust and artificiality prevails, might occur faster