Web's Inventor Urges AI to Preserve Internet's Original Values

Tim Berners-Lee, widely recognized as the father of the World Wide Web, is calling for artificial intelligence (AI) to uphold the foundational principles of the internet, particularly concerning user control over personal data. Berners-Lee stressed that the web's core tenet, the primacy of the individual, should extend to AI development, enabling users to filter the personal information they transmit to major technology companies.

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It is important that people use this technology (AI) to ensure that their customers, their citizens, have control over their own data.

Speaking at the SXSW technology festival in London, the British physicist and computer scientist, who conceived the WWW while at CERN in 1989, stated, "It is important that people use this technology (AI) to ensure that their customers, their citizens, have control over their own data." He views AI models as a distinct layer within the internet that leverages the vast amount of data available online for training purposes. Berners-Lee described AI as an "exciting" advancement but suggested it would be improved by regulation.

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AI models are a different layer within the internet; they take advantage of the fact that the web contains so much data to train themselves.

Berners-Lee pointed out that AI currently lacks a governing body comparable to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the international organization he founded that sets web standards. He believes AI pioneers would gain significant benefits from the collaboration and structure that such an organization would provide. The web itself was born from Berners-Lee's vision of a free and open system for researchers to share information globally. He chose not to patent his invention, ensuring its widespread adoption.

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AI pioneers do not "benefit from the collaboration that they would obtain if they had something like that."

Berners-Lee's current focus, through his startup Inrupt, is on protecting personal data, a growing concern for authorities in Europe and the United States. Inrupt develops secure data "wallets" that remain under user control. "Without data, they (AI models) cannot exist. And now they have had unrestricted access to everyone's data, and if we are not careful, we are going to arrive at a really serious situation," warned John Bruce, another co-founder of Inrupt. Berners-Lee is also involved in developing an AI assistant named Charlie, designed to help users filter requests made to AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude.

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Without data, they (AI models) cannot exist. And now they have had unrestricted access to everyone's data, and if we are not careful, we are going to arrive at a really serious situation.