We’ve crossed a milestone that changes everything about the internet.
As of October 2025, artificial intelligence generates 53.5% of all online content.


This isn’t lightly edited by AI; this is fully machine-generated text.

Most people have no idea this shift already happened.

The Data Visualization That Makes It Real

I needed to see this transformation visually, not just as numbers. That’s why I created an animated racing chart using PlotSet Plus, the AI-enhanced chart maker that lets you build stunning data visuals and video charts without code.

Watching this chart unfold is far more powerful than reading statistics.
For years, human-written content (the blue line) dominates completely. Then, in November 2022 , ChatGPT launches.
The red line representing AI content accelerates sharply upward.
Within just 36 months, machine output catches up to human output.
Turn your volume up and watch it.
It’s data storytelling in motion, both breathtaking and unsettling.

Building the Evidence

To visualize this trend accurately, I analyzed over 1.6 million URLs from RSS feeds and web crawlers. After filtering, I retained 106,000 articles, refining them to a dataset of 21,000 high-quality pieces with spam removed.

I used a custom Python-based data visualization workflow and AI detection system, combining three methods:

1. Time-aware baselines based on tool availability 2. Linguistic pattern recognition to detect AI writing fingerprints 3. Machine learning classifiers trained on confirmed human and AI samples

Articles with over 60% AI probability were marked as machine-generated.

The results validated Graphite’s study almost exactly. They analyzed 65,000 articles from 2015–2025; I extended the dataset to October 2025 with 5,200 more samples.

The process is transparent, repeatable, and fully documented. The data visualization speaks for itself.

The Revelation Nobody Expected

One pattern stood out immediately: Trusted news organizations are already using AI content extensively.

These are publications with editorial oversight, journalistic credibility, and professional writers. Yet many are quietly deploying AI-generated writing at scale.

You’ve almost certainly read machine-written content today without realizing it.

The Brutal Financial Logic

Creating a polished article that once required eight hours now takes thirty minutes. The cost of production has collapsed.

This explosion in supply has flooded the web with content, much of it optimized for algorithms but empty of meaning.

You’ve felt it: Scrolling through endless articles that look informative but say nothing. Pieces that appear authoritative yet deliver zero insight.

This is the internet of automated content, when machines publish faster than humans can think.

Two Simultaneous Realities

The hopeful scenario: Human writers evolve. Machines handle formulaic content while humans double down on creativity, emotion, and narrative. Platforms like Substack prove that readers still value authentic voices.

The bleak scenario: Quality disintegrates. AI-generated text overwhelms everything. Search results degrade. Genuine insight gets buried beneath machine filler.

Both realities now coexist.

What’s Actually Coming

The internet is splitting into two layers:

- Premium human content that is gated, high-quality, and subscription-based - Mass AI-generated content that is infinite, free, and disposable

We’re entering the era of tiered information ecosystems driven by automation.

Why This Chart Matters

I built this animated racing chart in PlotSet to make the shift visible.

PlotSet Plus is a data visualization platform that lets anyone create animated charts and video visualizations in minutes. No coding. No design skills. Just upload your data, customize styles, and export in 4K.

This chart doesn’t just show numbers; it tells a story. That’s what data storytelling is about.

I co-founded PlotSet because I believe visuals like this can make complex ideas instantly understandable. Explore the tool yourself and experience how AI chart creation can enhance human storytelling.

The Unanswerable Question

Email didn’t make us better communicators. It just made us communicate more often. AI may be repeating this pattern by generating more text, not necessarily more value.

The critical question is whether we’re producing insight or merely output.

What’s certain is this: We’ve crossed a threshold. The balance between human and machine creation won’t stabilize; it will continue to tilt.

Humans are also writing more, partly because AI accelerates their workflow and partly because competition demands it.

This trajectory is irreversible. Machines now author half of the internet, and the number is rising.

Your Decision

The 50:50 internet exists now. How you navigate it determines your future as a creator, reader, or strategist.

Keep writing. Keep analyzing. Keep questioning authenticity.

And perhaps start focusing on content that communicates meaning, not just text that mimics it.

Machines can write. The question is whether we’ll still value the craft of writing and the data stories behind it.