Elon Musk, CEO van Tesla and DOGE, has once again stirred up controversy within the crypto community with a provocative question: “How many real people are left on the internet?” The comment was prompted by a tweet from Mario Nawfal, a popular interviewer with 2,2 million followers on the social platform X.
Nawfal cited an article from Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times, which stated that by 2024, humanity will “officially lose the internet to AI-driven bots.” This indicates that the current internet space is increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence.
According to Nawfal, more than half of all web traffic comes from bots, many of which have malicious intent. These bots tend to attack travel sites, steal concert tickets, and disrupt social media to create chaos and stir up drama. The article also suggests that these AI bots are constantly getting smarter, which is a worrying trend.
Note that Nawfal wrote “The Straight Times” instead of “The Straits Times” in his post, which could indicate an automatic correction from an AI-powered spell checker.
Willy Woo, a prominent crypto trader, responded to the tweet with a comment stating that he is ultimately “a pixel-based cartoon character.” He himself raises the question of whether the person behind Elon Musk’s account is actually a human and not an AI bot, asking: “How do I know you’re not a machine?”
This question provoked a wave of responses, with many respondents emphasizing that they are indeed real.
Musk is known for his interest in the concept that we may be living in a virtual reality, a “simulation” as he calls it. In a conversation with Lex Fridman, Musk indicated that Tesla and SpaceX regularly run simulations to investigate possible outcomes, because the outcome of processes is often unpredictable.
According to Musk, the creators of this possible simulation do not have ultimate knowledge and are modeling conscious life to observe what would eventually happen. This idea raises questions about the nature of consciousness and the limits of human experience in a technology-driven world.
At a time when artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly prominent in our daily lives, Musk's reflection on the nature of reality calls for us to consider what it means to be authentic in a digital world.
How many bots are online right now?
More than half of all web traffic is made up of bots, many of which operate with malicious intent.
What does Musk say about the reality of our existence?
Musk suggests that we may be living in a simulation, which motivates him to simulate and test many of his processes.
Who is Mario Nawfal and what is his role in this discussion?
Mario Nawfal is a popular interviewer on the X platform, who cited an article discussing the impact of AI bots on the internet, which prompted Musk's question.