Tim Berners-Lee: 'We can fix the internet' — but urges tighter control on AI

Tim Berners-Lee told the Guardian on his book tour that “We can fix the internet,” arguing it’s “not too late” even though the network is now “optimised for nastiness.” He identified commercialisation as a central problem, saying “the Americans were very keen about commercialising the internet, crossing the boundary from being an academic thing to being a commercial thing,” and that the shift has gotten out of control.

Berners-Lee said he’s watching policy moves in Australia and the UK, and that the first question is whether kids should be using particular social media sites. He also argued messaging services can be useful and said he favours devices for kids that limit access to potentially harmful sites and social media platforms.

On AI, he noted the irony that the current boom in generative models is possible because of the internet’s data.

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