Did we miss Web 3.0?
For all the discuss about this, where did it go? It is safe to say we have not achieved this milestone considering the fact that centralized silos such as Amazon, Meta, Google, and Spotify are still extremely powerful.
In fact, with the addition of AI, it could be stated their strength is only growing.
There is little doubt we are heading towards the agentic web. Of course, much debate will ensue regarding what this means. Like any forecast, the specifics are rather difficult to predict.
Some are already calling for Web 4.0.
Here is how the search engine DuckDuckGo describes the agentic web:
The agentic web, also known as Web 4.0, is a new paradigm of the internet where autonomous AI agents perform tasks on behalf of users, acting as intelligent intermediaries that can reason, learn, and collaborate. This shift allows users to simply declare their intentions, while the agents handle the execution of tasks, transforming how we interact with online services and applications.
Did we skip over Web 3.0 and move into something more advanced? Actually, what we are referring to is the same. My guess is we are getting caught up in semantics, something that can often derail the thinking people have about technological progress.
I think it is safe to say we are moving away from the hyperlink internet of old. The little blue links that were commonplace for decades are going away.
At the core of this transition is information. People do not typically want website. In fact, we could say they almost never want this. What is desired is information. They want answers.
What was the score of the game? How much did ABC stock move? What is the weather going to be like tomorrow?
All of these require answers. Since the earliest days, the internet provided answers by referring people to websites it thought has relevant content.
No more.
Now we are seeing the search engines provide the information. The same is true on social media platforms. Chatbots built into these applications allow people to engage with "advanced intelligence" without leaving. There is no need to click on a weblink.
Naturally, this has a major impact on those who depend upon the referral of web traffic. It changes the basis of online marketing. Essentially, nothing will be the same.
We have to keep in mind semantics. The tech world has a tough time projecting definitions. For example, what is AGI? ASI? Whatever descriptions we have keep changing; the goalposts are moved.
The same premise could be applied to the different versions of the web.
Web 3.0 certainly brought about native money. This was omitted from the original protocols. Web3, as coined by Gavin Wood, added smart contract capability to monetization, forming an entirely new financial system.
Where do AI agents fit into this?
My answer would state this depends upon how one defines things. To me, AI agents are still a part of Web 3.0. It is more than simply adding a monetary layer. We are looking at the agentic internet being part of this transition, obliterating the Web 2.0 model.
This means the death of the website to start. Agents do not require them. Instead, it simply pulls the data as it is fed through an API.
Let us say you want to book a table at a restaurant a few weeks out. The seating opening are posted 6 weeks in advance but they do so at varied times. Today, one would check the website multiple times per day to try and "get lucky".
In an agentic world, an agent is created to simply monitor the restaurant releases and, when the time and date desired shows up, the agent grabs it.
One major component to this is the end of coding as we know it. While that will likely never completely disappear from the human perspective, models are getting better at coding. This is going to be central to the agentic age. The future internet will be filled with agents. If they are only built by Big Tech, there is an issue. Instead, we will arrive at a time when individuals can simply "think something into existence". By this I mean starting what the desired outcome is and the model will build the agent.
Some are predicting that over 90% of internet traffic will be generated by AI. This is something that the masses need to take note of.
We are not looking at your daddy's internet.
This is a total transformation. It is greater than disruption. We are dealing with a societal shift that will alter most aspects of our lives.
It is a situation that gets even murkier when we consider the real world connection through robotics.
Of course, this is nothing new. Automation has always taken place. For example, what percentage of calculations online are done by computers? Does anyone believe that the trading volume of stocks were added up by humans with adding machines?
This simply is another evolution in that process. Once we embrace this, we will then be able to figure where humans fit in. At the same time, it is crucial to understand the shift so as to profit from the changes.
Sadly, the masses will not do this. They will hold onto their ideologies and beliefs, as if markets care about that. Ultimately, financial success comes from putting personal biases aside and letting the market dictate the decisions made.
Internet traffic is going AI. The question is how are people going to handle this?
