Study Finds a Third of New Websites Are AI-Generated (www.404media.co)

A recent study conducted by researchers from Stanford, Imperial College London, and the Internet Archive revealed that approximately one-third of websites created since 2022 are AI-generated. This significant shift in the digital landscape, spurred by the launch of ChatGPT, is expected to escalate to around 35% by mid-2025. The research raises concerns about the potential decrease in semantic and stylistic diversity of online content, driven by an increasing reliance on automated text generation tools. Additionally, the study examined critiques of AI-generated content, such as the risk of creating a homogenized internet and whether it leads to a rise in misinformation. The researchers utilized the AI-detection tool Pangram v3 to analyze website data from August 2022 to May 2025, testing hypotheses surrounding AI's impact on factual accuracy and source citation in online writing. Surprisingly, only two of the six hypotheses were confirmed: AI-generated text contributed to less semantic diversity and a more positive tone across the web, but it did not seem to increase falsehoods. This study not only highlights the rapid advancement of AI in content creation but also emphasizes the need for ongoing research to ensure that the rise of AI-generated text enhances rather than diminishes the quality of online information.