‘Internet is dead’: Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian says it’s all ‘botted’ and ‘quasi-AI’

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian voiced his support for the project dead internet theoryargues that much of today’s online activity is driven by bots rather than real users. Speaking on the TBPN podcast, Ohanian said the internet is becoming increasingly artificial, full of “botted” and “quasi-AI” interactions rather than real human interaction.

Ohanian gave examples of platforms such as LinkedIn, where he believes much of the content is repetitive and impersonal; he says these are signs of a “dead” digital ecosystem. “Most of the internet is dead now; this whole dead internet theory, right? Whether it’s botted, quasi-AI, LinkedIn bullshit,” he noted.

According to cybersecurity researchers, approximately 51% of global internet traffic may now be coming from both benign and malicious bots. These automated systems publish content, create fake interaction, and even simulate conversations. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also acknowledged the existence of a large number of LLM (large language model) focused online accounts, further contributing to the rise of artificial content and interactions.
Ohanian believes the increasing dominance of bots requires a new generation of online spaces where real human participation can be verified. “Live” digital platforms built around authenticity envision spaces that require “proof of life” to ensure human participation. “We will see the emergence of a new generation of verifiable human social media, because everything that is real now happens in group chats,” he added.

What is the ‘Dead Internet Theory’?

The concept first attracted widespread attention in 2021, with a post by a user named “IlluminatiPirate” on the Agora Road forum. The theory was later investigated by Atlantic In an article titled “You Maybe Missed It, But The Internet ‘Died’ Five Years Ago.”

At its core, the dead internet theory suggests that bots and automated content have overtaken real human activity online. Data from major cybersecurity firms supports this idea: Cloudflare estimates that almost a third of internet traffic is generated by bots, while Imperva puts that figure closer to 50%. While some bots perform routine or harmless functions, others disrupt online ecosystems by mimicking interaction, inflating web traffic numbers, and distorting the analytics used by advertisers and investors. This artificial activity can create a misleading picture of popularity and success and mask how little real interaction actually exists.