By the mid-2020s, the world became inundated with “AI slop.” Various forms of content—images, videos, music, emails, advertisements, speeches, and TV shows—were generated by artificial intelligence and often felt unoriginal and unengaging. While some experiences occasionally offered amusement, many were dull and soulless, sometimes leading to harmful misinterpretations. Interactions with others raised doubts—was the person on the other end of the call genuine? Many were repulsed and eager to escape from this perplexing landscape.

There was no “Butler’s Crusade,” a fictional revolt against the thinking machines. The book title references Samuel Butler’s insightful 1863 letter discussing machine evolution, titled “Darwin in the Machines.” Ironically, the solution emerged through innovative applications of AI.

One tech firm unveiled a series of smart glasses, featuring an augmented reality (AR) display equipped with built-in cameras, microphones, and headphones. By 2028, engineers from the Reclaim Reality Foundation adapted this tech for smart glasses, utilizing bespoke AI to eliminate any AI-generated content. Wearing non-smart glasses functioned as a form of negative AR, presenting an unfiltered reality.

Roaming the streets with DumbGlasses, later dubbed X-ray specs due to their ability to see beyond the surface, felt akin to subscribing to ad-free media. These glasses stripped away AI-created banners and seamlessly inserted natural scenery, ensuring that every conversation or song was crafted using classic analog methods. Users embraced X-ray specs as a means to unwind, declutter their minds, and break free from the deluge of AI. Many proudly displayed their status with T-shirts and badges touting slogans like “AI Vegan,” “Real or Nothing,” and “Slop Free Zone.”

As we moved into the 2030s, electronic contact lenses and tiny ear implants emerged that could perform similar functions.

The online domain posed a different challenge. There, escaping the grip of AI and relentless algorithmic profiling proved far more difficult.

One method allowed users to access search engines without activating the AI summaries. In the 2020s, one such option was: startpage.com. Some clever hacks employed expletives in search queries, circumventing AI-generated summaries. Nonetheless, even with these workarounds, evading AI profiling and targeting on social media platforms remained nearly impossible. Given the overwhelming dominance of major tech companies over social media, navigation, and the online realm, disengaging was far easier said than done. Yet, few were willing to abandon everything the Internet revolution had gifted us; they yearned for a digital universe to explore and rich online experiences.

The solution manifested as a new kind of network. Beyond the standard internet and the dark web, accessible only via specific browsers and passcodes, emerged veriweb (from veritas, Latin for truth). This network featured content entirely free from AI influence. Collaborating with Reclaim Reality, artists, musicians, and writers devised an infallible system, akin to blockchain used for verifying cryptocurrency transactions, ensuring that every piece of content had verifiable human origins. Veriweb, or the transparent web, became the trusted haven for reliable information and journalism, as users could trace the origin of their content. Wikipedia, which struggled with AI-generated material throughout the 2020s, transitioned to Veriweb in 2029. Traditional news entities followed suit, eager to assert their credibility in a post-AI landscape. Moreover, veriweb ensured that users remained unmonitored, unprofiled, and untouched by AI algorithms.

As millions flocked to this platform, humanity rediscovered connections and creativity. While much AI utilization persisted in personal tasks—like medical diagnoses—the intellectual stagnation that plagued society since the 2020s began to dissipate as individuals more actively engaged in their actions rather than leaving them to machines.

People discovered that navigating the vast digital world without algorithmic guidance diminished their sense of curated and personalized experiences. Additionally, the extensive collection of sensitive data by tech giants and the colossal revenues derived from targeted exploitation of that data became distant memories, evoking little sorrow among the populace.

Rowan Hooper, editor of New Scientist podcast and author of How to Spend $1 Trillion: 10 Global Problems We Can Actually Solve. Follow him on Bluesky @rowwhoop.bsky.social