The Weird World of an AI Clickbait King
Digest
This episode of GadgetLab delves into the world of AI-powered clickbait farms, a growing trend that is transforming the internet. The hosts interview Kate Nibbs, a senior writer at Wired, who recently investigated the domain squatting of the popular website "The Hairpin." Nibbs discovered that the site's original content had been replaced with AI-generated articles, often on generic topics like dream interpretation and relationship advice. The new owner, Vujo, a Serbian domain squatter, explained his motivations, stating that he sees AI-generated content as the inevitable future of the internet and that he is simply making money from a trend he believes is unstoppable. Nibbs' investigation reveals the ethical and practical implications of this trend, highlighting the potential for misinformation and the loss of valuable content. The episode also discusses the role of search engines like Google in combating clickbait farms and the potential impact of AI on the future of SEO. The hosts conclude by sharing their recommendations, including a novella by Ray Naylor, a book by Paul Murray, and the social network Blue Sky.
Outlines
Introduction
This Chapter introduces the GadgetLab podcast and its mission to help listeners make informed decisions about technology. It also promotes a digital subscription to Wired magazine with an exclusive discount for GadgetLab listeners.
Memorial Day Break and Episode Preview
This Chapter announces a break for the Memorial Day weekend and previews a past episode about clickbait and the mysterious Serbian DJ who became king of the clickbait empire.
The Hairpin's Transformation
This Chapter begins with a discussion about the website "The Hairpin" and its recent transformation. The hosts are joined by Kate Nibbs, a senior writer at Wired, who covers culture, media, and artificial intelligence. Nibbs shares her experience discovering that "The Hairpin" had been turned into a zombie version of itself, filled with AI-generated content.
The Widespread Impact of Clickbait Farms
This Chapter explores the prevalence of clickbait farms on the web and whether Vujo is representative of the typical clickbait farm operator. Nibbs discusses the lack of quantitative data on the issue but notes that NewsGuard has seen a significant increase in AI-generated clickbait farms. The hosts also discuss the role of Google in combating clickbait farms and the potential impact of AI on the future of SEO.
Recommendations
This Chapter features recommendations from the hosts, including a novella by Ray Naylor, a book by Paul Murray, and the social network Blue Sky.
Keywords
AI-powered clickbait farms
Websites that use artificial intelligence to generate content designed to attract clicks and generate revenue, often through misleading or sensationalized headlines and content.
Domain squatting
The practice of registering domain names that are similar to or identical to existing websites, with the intention of selling them to the original website owner or using them to create new websites that can benefit from the existing domain's reputation and search engine ranking.
Generative AI
A type of artificial intelligence that can create new content, such as text, images, audio, and video, based on existing data. Examples include ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion.
The Hairpin
A popular online magazine and blog that was known for its quirky and humorous writing on topics related to women's culture, media, and lifestyle. The site was acquired by a domain squatter who replaced its original content with AI-generated articles.
Vujo
A Serbian domain squatter who acquired the domain name for "The Hairpin" and used it to create a new website filled with AI-generated content. He believes that AI-generated content is the inevitable future of the internet and that he is simply making money from a trend he believes is unstoppable.
SEO
Search engine optimization, the process of improving the visibility and ranking of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO techniques include optimizing website content, structure, and technical aspects to make it more appealing to search engines.
Fediverse
A network of interconnected social networks that allows users to freely exchange information between different platforms. Examples include Mastodon, Pixelfed, and PeerTube.
Blue Sky
A decentralized social network that is being developed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey's company, Bluesky. Blue Sky aims to provide a more open and transparent platform for social media.
Q&A
What is AI-powered clickbait farming and how does it work?
AI-powered clickbait farming involves using artificial intelligence to generate content designed to attract clicks and generate revenue. These websites often use misleading or sensationalized headlines and content to lure users into clicking on their links. The content itself is often low-quality and repetitive, but it is designed to rank highly in search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive traffic to the website.
What are the ethical implications of AI-powered clickbait farms?
AI-powered clickbait farms raise several ethical concerns, including the potential for misinformation, the loss of valuable content, and the exploitation of creators. By replacing original content with AI-generated articles, these farms can spread false information and undermine the credibility of online sources. They can also erase the work of creators who may not have had the opportunity to save their content, leading to the loss of valuable insights and perspectives.
What is the role of search engines like Google in combating clickbait farms?
Search engines like Google play a crucial role in combating clickbait farms by identifying and de-ranking websites that engage in deceptive practices. However, the rapid evolution of AI-generated content makes it challenging for search engines to keep up with the latest techniques used by clickbait farms. Google is constantly updating its algorithms to detect and penalize websites that violate its policies, but the battle against clickbait farms is ongoing.
What is the potential impact of AI on the future of SEO?
The rise of AI-generated content is likely to have a significant impact on the future of SEO. As AI becomes more sophisticated, it will become increasingly difficult for search engines to distinguish between human-generated and AI-generated content. This could lead to a situation where AI-generated content dominates search results, potentially undermining the quality and credibility of online information.
What is the Fediverse and how does it relate to the future of social networking?
The Fediverse is a network of interconnected social networks that allows users to freely exchange information between different platforms. It is based on the idea of decentralization, which aims to give users more control over their data and interactions. The Fediverse is seen by some as a potential alternative to centralized social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, offering a more open and transparent environment for online communication.
What is Blue Sky and why is it being seen as a potential alternative to Twitter?
Blue Sky is a decentralized social network that is being developed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey's company, Bluesky. Blue Sky aims to provide a more open and transparent platform for social media, giving users more control over their data and interactions. It is being seen as a potential alternative to Twitter, which has been criticized for its centralized control and its handling of misinformation and hate speech.
Show Notes
Domain names have value, even when the websites that were once hosted there are shut down or abandoned. Prospectors will often swoop in and snatch up an unused domain, then erect a new website filled with clickbait articles. If the domain name used to rank highly in search results, the new clickbait articles will also rank highly, guaranteeing the prospector a steady stream of visitors searching the web for common phrases.
These zombie sites are all over the web; you’ve probably landed on them many times yourself. But this shady market is poised to grow exponentially thanks to the proliferation of generative AI tools. Text generators like ChatGPT make it easier for prospectors to crank out clickbait articles at greater speed, feeding an already raging river of pablum.
This week, Kate Knibbs tells us about her WIRED story on one of these entrepreneurs in the world of AI-generated clickbait hosted on squatted domains.
This episode originally aired February 15, 2024. Read the full transcript.
Show Notes:
Read Kate’s story about Nebojša Vujinović Vujo and his clickbait empire. Also read Kate’s original investigation into what happened to The Hairpin, a popular blog for womens’ writing that went defunct and was then reborn as a content mill.
Recommendations:
Kate recommends the novella Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler. Brian recommends the novel The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. Lauren recommends giving up fancy, creamy coffee drinks for Lent. Mike recommends the social media platform BlueSky, which is now open to everyone.
Kate Knibbs can be found on social media @Knibbs. Brian Barrett is @brbarrett. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.