Can AI replace forums… or make them better?
- Thread starter Gizmo
- Start date
Sadly I've noticed lately that places like Stack Overflow's forums are decreasing in activity because of AI. If you google anything these days you're greeted with an AI result immediately. This can take away activity from forums, but then again the AI is getting information from forums. I don't see AI making forums better, they might make moderation better for staff but that's it. I also don't see them completely replacing forums either.
Nah, I doubt AI will do that, much like how Social Media hasn't quite done it yet. I will admit tho that AI was really helpful with my rebranding efforts.
AI makes plenty of things easier for us, but I worry about so many online message boards eventually being overrun by AI bots... Think about the obnoxious spam bots that we have seen over the years, and then throw AI into that. I have trouble believing CAPTCHA and things like that will prevent it.
I think that AI/LLM/ML tech can make forums better. I personally would like to see site owners have AI responses within seconds of a new thread to encourage a new type of interaction. The thread responses can be shown to the OP only, and they could press Yes/No for whether the response is helpful. If so, it could be shared under their thread for other users. This could be amazing for something technical, or anyone asking a question. it's also great for having curated links for related threads, summaries, and other on-site content such as a blog, help docs, or whatever.
The important thing is quality. It depends on the niche and how you use it. Some uses are more effective when discrete and not every AI use is in your face as a live chat.
AI does take away from forums though from a general search perspective but it doesn't replace community. It could turn out that kids won't care the same way older generations may remember Smarter Child on AIM or other bots.
Kids will talk to AI and yeah, it's totally possible that people enjoy group chats and discussions with curated AI personas rather than real people. It could break society as we know it, but can't rule it out if it triggers dopamine due to instant responses and personalized chats for each person in an AI community of bots. Echo chamber, per person if you will.
Not saying i'm happy to share this , but these are very real concerns we need to think about.
The important thing is quality. It depends on the niche and how you use it. Some uses are more effective when discrete and not every AI use is in your face as a live chat.
AI does take away from forums though from a general search perspective but it doesn't replace community. It could turn out that kids won't care the same way older generations may remember Smarter Child on AIM or other bots.
Kids will talk to AI and yeah, it's totally possible that people enjoy group chats and discussions with curated AI personas rather than real people. It could break society as we know it, but can't rule it out if it triggers dopamine due to instant responses and personalized chats for each person in an AI community of bots. Echo chamber, per person if you will.
Not saying i'm happy to share this , but these are very real concerns we need to think about.
fantanoice
Madly Diligent
People want to talk to people. They don't want to be manipulated by machines.
AI posts have already damaged forums and social-Internet beyond repair. We know that bad actors use these platforms for information warfare, which AI let's them do at scale. Their posts are already hard to distinguish from humans. You need to scrutinise everything you read online.
People were already using information warfare to control people's emotions and influence elections before LLMs. Now it's so easy for anyone to generate a statistically-probable combination of words to make you feel a certain way. Why would anyone choose to be in that environment when they can't guarantee they're reading a sincere thought? It makes no sense and the logical conclusion is to tap out of online discussions.
AI will neither replace or improve forums. They're the poison and they're already here. We're in Dead Internet Theory; without heavy reform, account verification and more drastic steps, we won't be going back.
Neural networks were getting through CAPTCHAs long before LLMs. Even before that, organisations would pay people to solve them. They were a dud way to prevent spam 20 years ago and wholly antiquated by today.
I can somewhat get behind a personal agent AI for a forum. It could recommend threads based on what you've read and posted, or cool people to follow
I always found the, "first reply / first DM" autobots pretty tacky and impersonal. However, if you mention in your intro thread that you're a gamer, then the agent recommend some gaming threads, then that could be neat. Though you'd need a forum with a substancial amount of posts to get the most out of it.
AI posts have already damaged forums and social-Internet beyond repair. We know that bad actors use these platforms for information warfare, which AI let's them do at scale. Their posts are already hard to distinguish from humans. You need to scrutinise everything you read online.
People were already using information warfare to control people's emotions and influence elections before LLMs. Now it's so easy for anyone to generate a statistically-probable combination of words to make you feel a certain way. Why would anyone choose to be in that environment when they can't guarantee they're reading a sincere thought? It makes no sense and the logical conclusion is to tap out of online discussions.
AI will neither replace or improve forums. They're the poison and they're already here. We're in Dead Internet Theory; without heavy reform, account verification and more drastic steps, we won't be going back.
Neural networks were getting through CAPTCHAs long before LLMs. Even before that, organisations would pay people to solve them. They were a dud way to prevent spam 20 years ago and wholly antiquated by today.
I can somewhat get behind a personal agent AI for a forum. It could recommend threads based on what you've read and posted, or cool people to follow
I always found the, "first reply / first DM" autobots pretty tacky and impersonal. However, if you mention in your intro thread that you're a gamer, then the agent recommend some gaming threads, then that could be neat. Though you'd need a forum with a substancial amount of posts to get the most out of it.
Agreed, they might talk less if they feel everyone else is just a machine.
That's true about captcha, and even before LLMs, there were systems in place. I even built a full synonym and sentence swapping software several years ago for "article spinning" to turn 1 article into 10, 20, etc.
I don't agree that AI will poison forums. Yes, dead internet theory exists, but at the end of the day, the world is changing to the point where a lot of people don't care if it's AI or not. For example, I want good music. I don't mind if its generated. I like good movies, I do not care if it's made by AI tools or not. Forums are a bit different, but I don't think AI will kill them off. They will change for sure, but I still believe that tactful AI use by forum owners and anti-spam measures can keep quality high, and make it less of a problem.
The curated list would be great, but you can still pull in links from other sites. Take a note from Google and just summarize the results and make a tiny icon to find the source in an unclear way, and the users will stay lol. Google did it for search results and people click into websites less and less. On forums, maybe we can take the same concept and make sure that if someone asks a question, they get answers without needing to leave the site.
I remain hopeful. I am also biased by being in tech and actively working in the AI space to automate, replace, and improve systems with new workflows and integrations.
AI won’t replace forums, but it will change how they work.
Forums are built on real experiences, opinions, and discussion. AI can answer questions, but it can’t fully replace the depth that comes from different people sharing perspectives, disagreeing, and building on each other’s ideas.
Where AI helps is around the edges. It can summarize long threads, suggest better titles, highlight useful answers, and help members find relevant discussions faster.
Forums are built on real experiences, opinions, and discussion. AI can answer questions, but it can’t fully replace the depth that comes from different people sharing perspectives, disagreeing, and building on each other’s ideas.
Where AI helps is around the edges. It can summarize long threads, suggest better titles, highlight useful answers, and help members find relevant discussions faster.
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