AI Will Change The Content We Consume
Rising technology meets finite time
Over the past 15 years, digital media has eclipsed traditional forms in our daily routines. More than ever, Americans stream shows on platforms like Netflix, scroll through social media feeds on Facebook and Instagram, and rely on online outlets such as Twitter and Reddit for news and entertainment. We may now be hitting a saturation point in total content consumption, binge-watching series, engaging with social media, reading online articles, etc., with the human day simply unable to stretch further. The advent of low-cost AI-generated content aimed at increasingly narrow segments will make it harder for creators to stand out, reinforcing the vital role of curated platforms, user upvotes, and publishers in shaping how we consume media.
AI Adoption and the Nature of Content
A friend recently asked my thoughts on where content consumption is headed in the next few years. My assumption is that AI technology will profoundly change how we create and consume content.
The rapid adoption of generative AI in the United States is transforming workplace practices and productivity. A survey conducted last August found that nearly 40% of U.S. adults aged 18-64 were using some form of generative AI, with 28% using it at work. This adoption rate surpasses historical trends for the first few years of personal computers and the internet. Given how quickly AI is being integrated into everyday tasks, it is natural to wonder how it will change the ways we consume information. AI can generate text, audio, and even video in seconds. What does that mean for quality, variety, and, ultimately, our freedom to choose the content we engage with?
I define “content consumption” broadly as all the ways we receive information and entertainment: social media feeds, streaming services, podcasts, radio broadcasts, online searches, Wikipedia articles, and more. The content we choose reflects our values and priorities and influences how we think. When we allow algorithmic or AI-driven platforms to shape that daily intake, are we reinforcing our individual liberty to learn or outsourcing our choices to technology?
Content Saturation and Fragmentation
A recent analysis by eMarketer found that while U.S. consumer media consumption reached about 12 hours and 42 minutes in 2023, it remained flat in 2024 after years of growth. They note that while digital media consumption has continued to climb by about 20 minutes, Americans have reduced traditional media usage by 10 minutes. We may well be nearing a human limit on how many hours per day we can allocate to media.
As platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts multiply, we are increasingly drawn to bite-sized visual content. This mirrors the broader trend of audio on the go—podcasts, audiobook snippets, or even real-time voice chat rooms. Does shorter content genuinely enhance our liberty to explore more voices and topics, or does it risk oversimplifying complex ideas?
More Books Written, Fewer Published
The efficiencies created by AI may lead to more books being written, but I don’t expect to see an increase in books professionally published. AI co-writing tools, used for editing and ghostwriting, will lower the barriers to entry, but if thousands of AI-generated manuscripts are submitted every day, publishers will become more selective and ironically use AI to screen manuscripts for authenticity and credibility. Meanwhile, the volume of audiobooks is exploding, but with AI narration rapidly improving, we might see large swaths of voice-over work replaced.
Standing Out in a Sea of Content
Marketing professionals already employ AI-driven micro-targeting to reach niche audiences. AI is already enabling creators to begin producing content efficiently in hundreds of genres and “tones,” each aimed at a tightly defined group. This fragmentation might appear to enhance choice and personal freedom. But with so many competing voices, how do we ensure that our society remains grounded in shared facts and balanced information? Will society benefit from hyper-niche content that tailors itself to every interest, or might we lose opportunities for cross-cultural conversation?
As AI reduces the cost of creating content to near zero, it is spurring an explosion of new content, including a proliferation of low-quality material. Who or what will determine “quality” in an environment overflowing with user-generated AI text and video?
This is a looming problem for content creators. If generating material is almost free, how do they become recognized as authoritative? In art, prestige has long depended on the endorsement of galleries and critics who signal artistic value. Similarly, user-voted platforms like Reddit and algorithmically driven feeds like Instagram and TikTok help surface “top” content, though these are not neutral curators. They rely on data-driven metrics (clicks, likes, comments) that can be manipulated.
When TikTok’s recommendation engine decides which videos go viral, it can elevate new talent or bury established voices, all based on algorithmic predictions of user engagement. That may look like progress through decentralization, but is it also eroding the thoughtful editorial curation that fosters a more literate public sphere? Are we gaining more liberty to choose our content or drifting into echo chambers driven by platform interests?
In the art world, galleries serve as curators, bridging artists and collectors. Their endorsements create value. In the content world, we see something similar with algorithmic recommendation engines, user-voted “best of” lists, and publishing houses that label some works as worth your time. These institutions, from TikTok to The New York Times, are co-creators of cultural legitimacy. As AI saturates every corner of content production, these gatekeepers will be increasingly asked to signal quality, and I expect new platforms for curation to emerge.
Looking Ahead
In the coming years, AI will transform how we discover, evaluate, and spend our limited hours consuming it. This shift speaks to deeper societal trends, touching on ideals of reason (applying critical thinking to content), liberty (maintaining open platforms), democracy (ensuring a diversity of voices), and capitalism (the market incentives driving the platforms that mediate our media experiences). As we approach saturation in total content consumption, we will have a greater need for platforms, publishers, and yes, AI curators, to filter noise and highlight authenticity.
We should expect big platforms and publishers to experiment with new ways to monetize attention. We may see more subscription models, more “premium curated” spaces, or new tools that let people outsource their curation decisions to AI. Whether such innovations expand or restrict our freedom to learn, think, and debate is not yet settled. For all of us, brands, creators, and everyday consumers—this transitional period is a chance to reflect on how we want our media ecosystem to function. We will seek digital spaces that reward meaningful, authentic contributions rather than mere novelty.
Peace through understanding.
You raise lots of questions here that have profound implications. It will be fascinating, concerning, illuminating and certainly very interesting to see what develops, and how these questions get answered.