The internet’s infrastructure and funding are changing, creating both uncertainty and opportunity for digital businesses. At an industry standards summit, Tim Berners-Lee emphasized that user control and privacy should not be sacrificed for business goals. He raised concerns about social platforms training algorithms in ways that can encourage addiction, and he argued platforms should engage users collaboratively rather than by provoking anger. He considered an agentic future where users interact mainly with LLMs and may stop visiting websites, especially factual ones like news. He suggested micropayments and intent-signaling standards could help sustain attention-based monetization, while content licensing and pay-per-crawl models could reduce frustration caused by paywalls.
"Berners-Lee repeatedly underlined his conviction that user control and privacy shouldn't be sacrificed for business outcomes. Below is a concise summary of what he discussed on stage with IAB Tech Lab CEO, Anthony Katsur, during the May 28 conference."
"He subsequently outlined his view that social platforms shouldn't train algorithms to the extent that usage can tilt into addiction. Furthermore, noted concerns about TikTok, etc., promoting outrage culture, instead, they should excite users "by being collaborative," not "by being angry.""
"Berners-Lee acknowledged concerns about a future in which users interact solely with LLMs, thereby abandoning website visits, particularly for "factual websites," such as news, although he believes more creative-focused, interest-based websites, such as music or poetry, are more resilient to such trends."
"From here, Berners-Lee discussed the potential to continue "the attention economy" in the era of the agentic internet through micropayments, while also noting the possibility of standards for intent signaling. "There are paywalls, which drive people crazy," he said, noting the potential for content-licensing deals, such as the recently proposed pay-per-crawl model championed by IAB Tech Lab."
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