AI now writes more than half of new online articles. What's next for human authorship?

"The line between human and machine authorship is blurring, particularly as it's become increasingly difficult to tell whether something was written by a person or AI. Now, in what may seem like a tipping point, the digital marketing firm Graphite recently published a study showing that more than 50% of articles on the web are being generated by artificial intelligence."

"Back then, Eco was writing about the proliferation of TV and radio. Today, you'll often see similar reactions to AI. Yet Eco argued that both positions were too extreme. It isn't helpful, he wrote, to see new media as either a dire threat or a miracle. Instead, he urged readers to look at how people and communities use these new tools, what risks and opportunities they create, and how they shape-and sometimes reinforce-power structures."

Digital marketing firm Graphite reported that more than half of web articles are generated by artificial intelligence, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish human from machine authorship. This reality prompts questions about whether human writing will become obsolete or adapt alongside technological development. There are contrasting attitudes toward new media: 'apocalyptics' who fear cultural degradation and moral collapse, and 'integrated' advocates who view new technologies as democratizing. Both extremes are unhelpful; focus should be on how communities use these tools, the risks and opportunities they create, and how they shape and sometimes reinforce power structures. Teaching about deepfakes during the 2024 election reinforced the practical importance of that lesson.

Read at Fast Company