The risk of Model Autophagy Disorder: why firms need a Plan B for their data

 As AI models train on content, corporate records grow in importance

    • When AI models are trained repeatedly on content produced by other AI systems, their ability to recognise rare scenarios is usually the first to disappear.
    • When AI models are trained repeatedly on content produced by other AI systems, their ability to recognise rare scenarios is usually the first to disappear. IMAGE: PIXABAY
    Published Wed, Jul 22, 2026 · 07:00 AM

    EVEN as businesses embed artificial intelligence deeper into their daily operations, public content on the Internet is becoming a less reliable source for the context that the technology needs.

    Much of the Web’s readily available information has already been heavily mined and fed to large language models (LLMs), and a growing share of what remains is now generated by AI rather than people.

    And whenever the quality of the Internet’s information declines, so does the reliability of the AI outcomes built on top of it.