Tim Berners‑Lee says AI won’t destroy the web, despite Pichai’s comment
Tim Berners-Lee isn’t buying the generative-AI frenzy. He keeps saying the web’s basic design still works. Some commentators warn that autonomous agents could change how we click around, but the Web’s creator sees them more as add-ons than replacements.
That puts him at odds with Google chief Sundar Pichai’s recent jab that a top AI researcher might be dreaming too big. The clash between a “web-first” mindset and the rise of agent-driven browsers is sparking a bigger conversation about the next phase of online interaction. If you’ve been tracking the back-and-forth between these two veterans, you’ll notice the debate gets concrete when they talk about browsers that can summarize pages or launch apps for you.
Below, Berners-Lee’s reply to Pichai’s off-hand remark spells out how he thinks the web will grow - without being swallowed.
*When I pressed Google’s Sundar Pichai on the remark, he replied, “Perhaps Demis is looking a bit too far ahead.” I can picture a web where agentic browsers act on our behalf - pulling data, summarizing articles, maybe even firing up apps. And the web itself……
I asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai about that comment. He said, "Well, maybe Demis was thinking too far ahead." I see that version of the web where agentic browsers are going off and using web services for you. They're summarizing information or maybe even using applications for you.
And the web itself changes because people are no longer using it, automated systems are using it. Just in the past week, I think three AI browsers were released: OpenAI has Atlas, Google announced some of these features in Chrome, there's one from Opera, and so on. Do you see that new browser war as a source of innovation and excitement, as somebody who created the first set of browsers?
Will AI reshape the web? Tim Berners-Lee, the guy who wrote HTML and HTTP, says he doesn’t think artificial intelligence will wreck the web. He’s still cautiously optimistic - after all, he’s watched it change a lot.
In a chat with Google’s Sundar Pichai, the CEO hinted that maybe DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis is looking a bit too far ahead, pointing to a gap between what we can do now and the wild scenarios people imagine. Pichai talked about “agentic browsers,” the sort that could act for you: fetch data, summarise pages, even fire off apps without you clicking anything. That idea blurs the line between passive surfing and a kind of digital assistant.
The web itself seems pretty resilient, but whether such self-acting tools will become common, how they’ll affect user control, and what safety nets we’ll need are still up in the air. The community is watching, not assuming an inevitable collapse. Can the web stay open?
Berners-Lee’s hope rests on designers keeping interoperability and user agency front-and-center as we move toward more autonomous browsing.
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Common Questions Answered
What is Tim Berners‑Lee’s main argument about AI’s impact on the web?
He argues that AI is an extension rather than a replacement, and that the core architecture of the web—HTML and HTTP—remains intact despite hype around generative AI and autonomous agents.
How does Sundar Pichai’s comment about Demis Hassabis relate to the debate on AI‑driven browsers?
Pichai suggested that DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis might be “thinking too far ahead,” implying a gap between current AI capabilities and speculative scenarios like agentic browsers that could rewrite how users interact with web services.
Which AI‑powered browsers were mentioned as recently released, and who developed them?
The article notes three AI browsers launched in the past week, including OpenAI’s Atlas and a Google‑announced agentic browser, highlighting the rapid emergence of AI‑driven tools that can summarize information and act on web applications.
According to the article, why does Tim Berners‑Lee remain cautiously optimistic about the web’s future?
He believes the web has continuously evolved since the creation of HTML and HTTP, and while AI may change user interaction patterns, it will not destroy the underlying web infrastructure, allowing it to adapt and thrive.