Spite House: AI, disintermediation and the end of the free web Highlight

Some people are being pragmatic about the shift. They’re adapting to the new reality, and optimising for AI summaries, or lobbying the tech companies to think more about accuracy and trusted sources when it comes to sensitive content.

But I’m not feeling pragmatic. I’m filled with spite.

This isn’t just about traffic. It’s about who owns and benefits from the work you’ve done. Years of graft and institutional knowledge from charities and publishers and organisations and individuals (like me) is all being used to train models we don’t control, to benefit companies that never asked permission.

And I’m not ready to accept that any of this is inevitable.