I'm a new poster here, but this deserves some clarification and perspective. And just to qualify, I have been with the web since its inception when kids were making millions doing basic HTML.
It will take a whole lot longer than a single year to make those kinds of intrinsic changes to how the web functions and undo its basic functionality, this piece is hyperbolic, to say the least, and trust me: the companies in question have a very vested interest in staying in business, and they have the money to hire lawyers; we do not live in a totalitarian state like China where this can all be done in the dark of night with the sweep of a simple whim, so calm down, people. We have courts, and anyone that wants to abolish them can hopefully see their value in a situation like this: we are not allowed, legally, due to our separation of powers, to institute anything like this at the drop of a hat. Not now, not ever. So, preserve those powers.
That said, this is definitely a good peek to what the people in question would *like* to do, very much, and we had all better pay attention, and they are very much taking steps each day to make it a reality. It was very stupid to grant Silicon Valley immunity at the dawn of the web era, but here we are. It could very well shake out like the 'unicorn' era of Silicon Valley where the big bucks were flowing in the beginning but because it was unsustainable, and frankly, stupid, the wells dried up. As many others have shared, what we term 'AI' is largely, to oversimplify, just glorified search, and it is no wonder at all that creeps like Google are at the forefront. That company has done *nothing but* evil since the days they brought Schmidt on board, which may predate some of the readers and even writers on this site.
Don't give up just yet, but DO take the past 15 years or so as an object lesson, because a cycle is very much repeating currently. Let the backlash be bigger than the threat. I know revenues are down for everyone, but we still have choices in this country. Let's keep it that way, okay? We, currently at least, still have that power.
And PS - this is what the whole 'net neutrality' boondoggle was about. Silicon Valley was preserving their own control, not looking out for the benefit of a user. We have clearly seen what the giants in the industry want to do with their power. It isn't good for anyone, and ultimately it will cease to be cash cow for them, at least through the lens of ethics.
