The shadow of the machine: hypertext in the age of artificial intelligence
The shadow of the machine: hypertext in the age of artificial intelligence
This paper examines the parallels between the transformational impacts of hypertext and those that will come as a result of generative AI, arguing that we are witnessing not incremental change but a paradigm shift in the
nature of writing and reading. Generative AI, like hypertext before it, breaks down the boundaries of authorship and textuality, making meaning more fluid, collaborative, and adaptive. I identify four central challenges that
arise in this new era: the Thief of Reason (outsourcing of human thought), the Sea of Sludge (proliferation of generic, homogenous content), the Dialogic Web (the dissolution of documents, unsettling authority and intent),
and the Death of the Reader (loss of a stable, interpretive audience). Drawing on the legacy of hypertext, I propose that its core principles – non-linearity, transparency, navigability, and reader agency – offer vital conceptual and
technical resources for responding to these challenges; but also that success will depend on our ability to interpret these hypertextual values for the AI world and will require active stewardship by both designers and users. As
text is becoming fully fluid, collaborative, and adaptive; our greatest task is to ensure that writing remains a space for intentional dialogue, creativity, and human understanding even in the age of intelligent systems.
Millard, David
4f19bca5-80dc-4533-a101-89a5a0e3b372
30 September 2017
Millard, David
4f19bca5-80dc-4533-a101-89a5a0e3b372
Millard, David
(2017)
The shadow of the machine: hypertext in the age of artificial intelligence.
Narrative and Hypertext Workshop, Held at ACM Hypertext 2025, Chicago, United States.
17 Sep 2025.
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Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
This paper examines the parallels between the transformational impacts of hypertext and those that will come as a result of generative AI, arguing that we are witnessing not incremental change but a paradigm shift in the
nature of writing and reading. Generative AI, like hypertext before it, breaks down the boundaries of authorship and textuality, making meaning more fluid, collaborative, and adaptive. I identify four central challenges that
arise in this new era: the Thief of Reason (outsourcing of human thought), the Sea of Sludge (proliferation of generic, homogenous content), the Dialogic Web (the dissolution of documents, unsettling authority and intent),
and the Death of the Reader (loss of a stable, interpretive audience). Drawing on the legacy of hypertext, I propose that its core principles – non-linearity, transparency, navigability, and reader agency – offer vital conceptual and
technical resources for responding to these challenges; but also that success will depend on our ability to interpret these hypertextual values for the AI world and will require active stewardship by both designers and users. As
text is becoming fully fluid, collaborative, and adaptive; our greatest task is to ensure that writing remains a space for intentional dialogue, creativity, and human understanding even in the age of intelligent systems.
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The Shadow of the Machine - submitted
- Author's Original
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Published date: 30 September 2017
Venue - Dates:
Narrative and Hypertext Workshop, Held at ACM Hypertext 2025, Chicago, United States, 2025-09-17 - 2025-09-17
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Local EPrints ID: 505479
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/505479
PURE UUID: 1a0b4ab1-0abc-4d3b-b915-6a3a0de76916
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Date deposited: 09 Oct 2025 17:02
Last modified: 10 Oct 2025 01:36
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Author:
David Millard
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