https://www.economist.com/business/2025/07/14/ai-is-killing-the-web-can-anything-save-it The Economist The Economist Subscribe --------------------------------------------------------------------- Enterprise --------------------------------------------------------------------- Log in --------------------------------------------------------------------- Menu The Economist The Economist Skip to content Subscribe --------------------------------------------------------------------- Enterprise --------------------------------------------------------------------- Log in --------------------------------------------------------------------- Menu --------------------------------------------------------------------- [ ] --------------------------------------------------------------------- [20250] The world in brief Catch up on global daily news [20250] 1843 Compelling long reads [20250] Podcasts Tune into captivating conversations [20250] Video Watch engaging short films [20250] Digital events Gain insights from experts [20250] Newsletters Curated news, direct to your inbox Current topics * War in the Middle East * War in Ukraine * Climate change * Geopolitics * The world economy * Artificial intelligence * Trump approval tracker Current topics * War in the Middle East * War in Ukraine * Climate change * Geopolitics * The world economy * Artificial intelligence * Trump approval tracker World World * The world this week * China * United States * Europe * Britain * Middle East * Africa * Asia * The Americas * International Business & economics Business & economics * Business * Finance & economics * Big Mac index * Economic & financial indicators Opinion Opinion * Leaders * Columns * By Invitation * Letters to the editor In depth In depth * Science & technology * Briefing * Graphic detail * Interactives * The Economist explains * Special reports * Technology Quarterly * Essay * Schools brief Culture & society Culture & society * Culture * The Economist reads * Obituary * Games Weekly edition Weekly edition * This week * Past editions Our A-to-Zs Our A-to-Zs * Economics * American politics * Military terms * International relations * Weekly edition * The world in brief * War in the Middle East * War in Ukraine * United States * The world economy * Business * Artificial intelligence * Archive 1945 * Games undefined undefined --------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to The Economist Unlock unlimited access to all our award-winning journalism, subscriber-only podcasts and newsletters Subscribe to The Economist Unlock unlimited access to all our award-winning journalism, subscriber-only podcasts and newsletters Subscribe --------------------------------------------------------------------- * Manage account * Log out * Manage account * Log out Business | World wide worries AI is killing the web. Can anything save it? The rise of ChatGPT and its rivals is undermining the economic bargain of the internet Share An illustration of a tomb of 'The World Wide Web, 1989-2025'. Illustration: Nick Little Jul 14th 2025|9 min read Around the beginning of last year, Matthew Prince started receiving worried calls from the bosses of big media companies. They told Mr Prince, whose firm, Cloudflare, provides security infrastructure to about a fifth of the web, that they faced a grave new online threat. "I said, 'What, is it the North Koreans?'," he recalls. "And they said, 'No. It's AI'." Explore more Artificial intelligenceBusinessOpenAI This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline "World wide worries" --------------------------------------------------------------------- Business July 19th 2025 * -AI is killing the web. Can anything save it? * -Can Nvidia persuade governments to pay for "sovereign" AI? * -The spectacular folly of Donald Trump's copper tariffs * -America throws big money at a small rare-earths mine * -Kraft Heinz is not the only food giant in trouble * -The hottest new travel destination for hotel brands: India * -Are superstars as good when they move jobs? * -Move over, Tim Cook. Jensen Huang is America Inc's new China envoy [20250719_DE_US] From the July 19th 2025 edition Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents =Explore the edition --------------------------------------------------------------------- Share Reuse this content --------------------------------------------------------------------- More from Business A worker looking at a coworker with a shining star around his head. Are superstars as good when they move jobs? The AI-talent scramble raises an old question An illustration of Jensen Huang's head as table tennis ball, swining between a USA racket and a China one. Move over, Tim Cook. Jensen Huang is America Inc's new China envoy Nvidia's boss is proving to be a canny diplomat --------------------------------------------------------------------- A sad smiley face made of ketchup and macaroni and cheese. Kraft Heinz is not the only food giant in trouble The industry is grappling with slowing demand, rising competition and new regulations --------------------------------------------------------------------- America throws big money at a small rare-earths mine Challenging China's dominance will be a tall order The spectacular folly of Donald Trump's copper tariffs Duties on the red metal will undermine the president's wider economic agenda The hottest new travel destination for hotel brands: India It has a China-size population with a UAE-size room supply --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------- * * * * * * * Get The Economist app on iOS or Android --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Economist The Economist * About * Reuse our content * Subscribe * Economist Enterprise * SecureDrop The Economist Group The Economist Group * The Economist Group * Economist Intelligence * Economist Impact * Economist Impact Events * Economist Education Courses Contact Contact * Help and support * Advertise * Press centre Careers Careers * Working here * Executive Jobs --------------------------------------------------------------------- To enhance your experience and ensure our website runs smoothly, we use cookies and similar technologies. 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