3 factors reshaping the internet as an inflection point
3 factors reshaping the internet as an inflection point
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/07/dynamics-reshaping-the-internet-inflection-point/
Publish Date: 2026-07-02 01:00:00
Source Domain: www.weforum.org
- The internet has reached a turning point in its development, with three dynamics reshaping who holds power and how trust is maintained.
- Interviews conducted by the World Economic Forum and KPMG as part of the Connected Future initiative suggest that many institutions, platforms and users are not yet prepared for the pace of change in the era of AI.
- The future of the internet will be determined not by capability alone, but by the decisions made now on trust, accountability and governance.
The internet is entering a new phase. Three shifts are reshaping who holds power and how trust is maintained: explosive growth in data generation; declining confidence in digital information and transactions; and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) systems that increasingly mediate access to services and knowledge.
Interviews conducted by the World Economic Forum and KPMG as part of the Connected Future initiative suggest that many institutions, platforms and users are not yet prepared for the pace of change, particularly as AI begins to search, decide and act on behalf of people and organizations.
Participants described existing rules, incentives and accountability mechanisms struggling to keep up, especially around who can use data, who can verify identity and content, and who is responsible when systems act.
This is an inflection point because several assumptions from the previous era no longer hold. The next phase will be shaped by institutional choices and public-private cooperation, as much as by technological capability.
Three dynamics reshaping the internet
Our research showed that three key dynamics are defining current attitudes around and use of the internet.
1) Data is becoming ambient and creating new kinds of value
For decades, the internet primarily captured what people typed, searched, posted and purchased. That is changing: it is now capturing far more of the physical world, with increasing granularity.
Data is no longer generated mainly through deliberate actions….
