The first version of the internet was pretty boring. You could only read and write and nothing more. But the second version, called Web2, was the thing that made the internet mainstream. Suddenly, you could interact with websites, watch videos, and participate inside applications.
What’s even more, an even better version of the internet is coming called Web3. Only a couple of elements are present today, but the end result is still far from implemented. The final goal is to have an anonymous and decentralized network that works like a global brain. That’s what the inventor of the internet, Tim Berners-Lee envisioned.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning will be the basic building blocks for the last version. Currently, it’s still incredibly expensive and complicated to compute. However, there’s another part of the internet to think about.
The internet has become like a massive shopping mall in the last decade. Almost every website tries to sell their services or includes microtransactions to make you buy their products. If they’re not selling you something, they’re showing you ads and making money.
How will marketing evolve with AI and machine learning?
Search engines like Google already use AI and machine learning to show you precisely what you want to see when you type in their query box. Google rarely gets it wrong, and more than 90 percent of the time, you don’t go to the second page of results. Their algorithm is becoming better at understanding your intent, and it’s getting more responsive based on your needs.
Do you like videos more than reading text? It shows you a YouTube video snippet explaining precisely what you need to know.
Are you looking for a great restaurant nearby? It shows you an exact location and route for how to get there.
These simple things took years to build, and they’ll get even better.
Social media is another excellent example. You’re running out of dog food, and you need to go to the store to get some more. Before you go out, you decide to scroll through Facebook or Instagram. Boom, the first thing that comes up is an ad for dog food with free delivery and a lower price than you were hoping to buy. It’s hard to resist not clicking the button.
Eventually, marketing will evolve into the metaverse. You’ll see game-like worlds companies make in projects like The Sandbox or Decentraland. Who knows what brands will come up with in these decentralized worlds.
How can hackers use AI to their advantage?
Talking about the future is great. We’ve come a long way from dial-up internet that disconnects whenever someone answers the phone. However, it’s important to note that some people just want to watch the world burn. Hackers never stop in their pursuits, and they’re waiting for the next opportunity to do harm.
They’ve got all of the necessary tools to use AI to their advantage and target companies or individuals and steal their data, finances, or identity. If you’ve got a verified Twitter or Instagram profile, that endeavor took years to build.
If someone hacks your account, you’ll have to start from scratch. That scenario hurts way more than someone breaking into your house and stealing a sofa or a TV. Eventually, people will be correlated with their metaverse avatars.
Hackers will do their best to get access to them. Not only that, but they’ll think of even more ways to exploit the currently existing systems. Artificial intelligence is an algorithm. It does what it’s told to do and has no concept of good and evil. The technology is already in the wrong hands. It’s up to time to tell what and how they’re going to use it.
How do you stay safe?
At the moment, there are three ways to remain safe from cyberattacks. The first one is to learn as much as possible about cybersecurity, phishing attacks, malware, and scams. You can’t get hacked if you only use secure sites. The following things you can do to use a VPN software and an antivirus. These software applications will serve as a safety net for everything that passes through your defenses.
A VPNwill hide your location and IP address, making you private on the web. An antivirus will scan all the files you download for malware, spyware, or ransomware. Equipped with knowledge and two shields that guard you against online and offline attacks, you will be able to navigate the world of the future.
Finally, it’s important to remember that hackers work hard to harm. Cybersecurity companies work even harder to make sure nothing gets breached, exploited, or stolen. That’s why you always need to update them when a new patch comes out.