The internet, as we know it, may be heading for a seismic shift. Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince has raised alarms that artificial intelligence could transform the open web into something resembling a dystopian episode of Black Mirror, where a handful of tech giants dictate what billions of people read, watch, and believe.

Speaking on WIRED’s Big Interview Podcast, Prince outlined how AI is quietly reshaping the way people consume information. He pointed to the decline of traditional search engines like Google, which once served as the “front door” to the internet by directing users to websites through links.

Instead, AI-driven tools such as Google’s AI Overviews now provide direct answers at the top of search results, summarizing content from across the web. While convenient for users, Prince warned this change threatens the very survival of websites, publishers, and independent creators.

“Now, if you run a search, it gives you back an answer at the top of the page. It doesn’t give you a treasure map,” Prince explained, emphasizing how AI is cutting off the traffic and clicks that sustain creators.

Three Possible Futures

Prince described three potential paths for the internet in the age of AI. The first is an extreme “dead internet” scenario, where AI-generated material overwhelms human-created content. While he dismissed this as unlikely—since AI itself depends on human input to function—he cautioned against ignoring the risks.

The second possibility, which he finds most concerning, is a “Black Mirror” version of the internet. In this world, creators don’t vanish but instead work directly under the control of a few powerful AI firms. Prince likened this to Renaissance Florence, where wealthy families like the Medicis supported artists but also influenced their work to align with political agendas.

“If that happens today,” Prince said, “companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, or Perplexity could end up running their own content bureaus. What the world gets is knowledge tuned to the beliefs of a few firms, rather than the messy, diverse voices of the open web.”

He also warned that this could fracture the internet into ideological bubbles, with different versions of information shaped by political, cultural, or national interests.

The third, more hopeful, outcome is a licensing-based model where AI firms pay content creators, much like Netflix pays for films and shows. Prince stressed that Cloudflare advocates this approach, since a thriving creator ecosystem is vital for the health of the internet.

Publishers Fight Back

The debate comes amid growing legal battles. Earlier this month, Penske Media Corporation—owner of Rolling Stone and The Hollywood Reporter—sued Google over its AI Overview feature, accusing the company of using content without proper compensation.

Cloudflare has also joined the pushback. It recently unveiled a tool allowing websites to block AI crawlers unless operators agree to pay. Major publishers including the Associated Press and Condé Nast have already supported such measures.

For Cloudflare, the stakes are deeply personal. “This is an existential threat to us,” Prince admitted. “If the internet stops existing, what’s left for Cloudflare to do? One of the things that is really important to us is a thriving and vibrant internet ecosystem.”

At this critical crossroads, Prince’s warning underscores a pressing question: Will AI strengthen the web’s openness, or will it script a controlled future dominated by big tech?