OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tweeted about the Dead Internet Theory
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has expressed concern about the “Dead Internet Theory,” and was immediately blamed for contributing to the problem.
In a post on X (Twitter), Altman noted that there seemed to be a lot of chatbots out there, writing:
“I never took the dead internet theory that seriously but it seems like there are really a lot of LLM-run twitter accounts now.”
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is one of the most widely used LLMs (Large Language Models), so Altman’s statement was met with derision from X users and commentators.
The Dead Internet Theory is becoming alarmingly close to reality, thanks to the proliferation of ChatGPT and other LLMs.
What Is The Dead Internet Theory?
The Dead Internet Theory was originally coined by a 4chan user who proposed that the vast majority of online activity was generated by bots rather than human users.
The theory frames the modern social media landscape as an isolated wasteland, inhabited by a few real people, who are unknowingly interacting with mindless bots.
The theory was originally viewed as something of an ironic conspiracy theory dreamed up by a single disillusioned internet inhabitant, but in the wake of the generative AI era, it has become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Now, the Dead Internet Theory is regularly referenced, often in response to the tsunami of AI-generated images, videos and writing that floods the web.
X Users Respond To Sam Altman
Commentators were quick to point out the irony in an AI-pusher like Altman talking about the Dead Internet Theory.
Some users responded to Altman while mimicking the tone of ChatGPT, which has a distinctive writing style, often coming out with sentences that declare “it’s not X, it’s Y,” while endlessly flattering and validating the user.
One user wrote: You’re absolutely right! This observation isn’t just smart—it shows you’re operating on a higher level.”
Many posted a photograph of comedian Tim Robinson in his iconic hot dog suit, referencing a joke in which Robinson’s character crashes his hot dog car, and desperately attempts to blame someone else.
While Altman appeared to be setting himself up for backlash and mockery, it’s possible he was taking a jab at Elon Musk’s stewardship of X, which remains an LLM-ridden landscape, despite Musk’s efforts to cleanse the timeline of bots.
Is The Dead Internet Theory Real?
Despite the sea of lifeless content created by generative AI, the internet is still alive.
X, in particular, is riddled with bots, yet the site is still one of the major meme pipelines of the modern internet, thanks to the output of living users.
X is clearly filled with living people and boasts the cultural potency to manifest silly memes and outrages into the news cycle, often catapulting them straight into the White House.
There’s a clear line drawn from influencers furiously tweeting about Cracker Barrel changing their logo, to Cracker Barrel backing down and keeping their logo, to President Donald Trump posting an AI-generated video of himself dancing with Uncle Herschel and his barrel to the tune of “Y.M.C.A..”
There’s a living, breathing community on X and TikTok that bots cannot drown out. Often, the resulting discourse is breathtakingly stupid, but it is, at least, coming from humans.
Nevertheless, there is a constant background hum, the incessant clatter of bots mindlessly replying to tweets.
Chatbots are dull conversationalists, being dead and all, but they are everywhere, and AI-generated imagery, video and commentary is filling up the digital landscape faster than living content creators are capable of.
AI is generating lengthy, inaccurate history videos to misinform the masses on YouTube, clogging up Instagram and Facebook with nightmarish imagery, and replacing living supermodels with lifeless husks.
AI is being used to edit classic movies, or to create doppelgangers of dead musicians.
Social media looks less like the Dead Internet Theory and more like a Last Of Us zombie apocalypse, in which the living might be outnumbered, but life still goes on.
MORE FROM FORBES
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2025/09/05/sam-altman-is-starting-to-see-the-dead-internet-theory/
