'Much of the Internet is Now Dead" as Bot Traffic Surpasses Human Activity for First Time
Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian has declared that “much of the internet is now dead,” warning that automated content and AI-generated posts have overtaken authentic human interaction online. Speaking on The Best People Network podcast on Monday, Ohanian described the current online environment as increasingly “botted” or “quasi-AI,” filled with what he termed “LinkedIn slop”—repetitive, algorithm-friendly content that prioritizes engagement over authenticity.
Recent Hoax Highlights Growing Problem
Ohanian’s concerns gained urgency over the weekend when he referenced a viral incident on his own platform, where thousands of Reddit users were deceived by posts featuring “Pound Cake,” a fictitious overweight cat supposedly on a weight loss journey. The posts, which generated massive engagement and emotional investment from users, were later revealed to be entirely AI-generated. “Is this the time where, yet again, I remind y’all about Dead Internet Theory?” Ohanian posted on X on Sunday, highlighting how easily artificial intelligence can manipulate online communities.
The Pound Cake deception exemplified what researchers call “AI slop”—synthetic content designed to generate engagement through emotional manipulation. Users who had followed the cat’s supposed weight loss journey and even offered financial assistance discovered that every image and update had been fabricated using AI tools.
Bot Traffic Reaches Historic Tipping Point
Ohanian’s warnings coincide with alarming new statistics from cybersecurity firm Imperva, which found that automated traffic accounted for 51% of all web traffic in 2024—the first time bots have outnumbered humans online in a decade. Bad bot activity specifically surged to 37% of internet traffic, up from 32% in 2023, marking the sixth consecutive year of growth in malicious bot activity.
“The emergence of AI Large Language Models have made it easier to create and scale bots for harmful purposes.”
The rise correlates directly with the proliferation of large language models and AI tools that have made bot creation more accessible and scalable. The accessibility of AI tools has significantly lowered the barrier to entry for cyber attackers, enabling them to create and deploy malicious bots at an unprecedented scale.
Authentic Connection Retreats to Private Spaces
In response to the degrading quality of public platforms, Ohanian observed that genuine human interaction has migrated to smaller, private digital spaces. “It’s all going down in the group chats now,” he said, referring to platforms like Signal and Discord where people seek authentic conversations away from algorithmic manipulation.
However, even these havens face infiltration, as some users have begun incorporating AI tools to generate and edit messages in group chats, potentially importing the same artificial dynamics that have hollowed out public platforms.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has echoed these concerns, admitting in September that while he “never took the dead internet theory that seriously,” he now sees “a lot of LLM-run Twitter accounts”. The convergence of observations from major tech leaders suggests the dead internet theory—once dismissed as conspiratorial thinking—has become a demonstrable reality.
Looking Toward Human-Verified Future
Ohanian envisions a “next generation of social media” that will be “verifiably human,” emphasizing live content and real-time interaction as proof of authentic engagement. He argued that future platforms must demonstrate “proof of life” rather than simply scaling automated interactions.
The challenge extends beyond individual platforms to the internet’s fundamental architecture, which was designed for human-to-human communication without built-in verification systems. As AI-generated content becomes indistinguishable from human creation, the absence of authentication mechanisms threatens the internet’s function as a reliable source of information and genuine connection.
The shift represents a stark departure from the internet’s original promise of human connectivity, replaced by what researchers describe as “bots talking to bots” in an increasingly closed loop of digital hallucination.
“2025 Imperva Bad Bot Report: AI-Driven Bots Surpass Human Traffic.” 2025. Thales Group, April 14, 2025. https://cpl.thalesgroup.com/about-us/newsroom/2025-imperva-bad-bot-report-ai-internet-traffic.
Clifford, Catherine. 2025. “Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian says ‘much of the internet is now dead’.” Business Insider, October 14, 2025. https://www.businessinsider.com/alexis-ohanian-much-of-the-internet-is-now-dead-2025-10.
Korosec, Kirsten. 2025. “Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian says ‘so much of the internet is dead’—and the rise of bots and ‘quasi-AI, LinkedIn slop’ killed it.” Fortune, October 15, 2025. https://fortune.com/2025/10/15/reddit-co-founder-alexis-ohanian-dead-internet-theory-ai-bots-linkedin-slop/.
Murray, Conor. 2025. “The ‘Dead Internet Theory’—Noted By Altman And Ohanian—Explained.” Forbes, October 13, 2025. https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/10/13/ohanian-and-altman-warn-of-dead-internet-theory-what-is-it-and-how-is-ai-making-it-happen/.
Ohanian, Alexis. 2025. “Is this the time where, yet again, I remind y’all about Dead Internet Theory.” X (formerly Twitter), October 12, 2025. https://x.com/alexisohanian/status/1977464638481863114.
“Pound Cake didn’t exist.” 2025. Reddit, r/sphynx, October 8, 2025. https://www.reddit.com/r/sphynx/comments/1o1rto3/pound_cake_didnt_exist/.
Siddiqui, Faiz. 2025. “What Is Dead Internet Theory? ChatGPT Boss Sam Altman Hints At Truth Behind Conspiracy.” NDTV, September 5, 2025. https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/what-is-dead-internet-theory-chatgpt-boss-sam-altman-hints-at-truth-behind-conspiracy-9226317.