AI agents are finally transforming the web from a human-navigated tool into an autonomous system that handles tasks directly, fulfilling a long-standing vision for a more efficient digital experience.
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This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. The agentic web is here In 2001, a decade after inventing the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee articulated a new vision: an internet navigated by autonomous software agents that address our every need, without requiring us to muck about with browsers and search engines ourselves. At the time, the idea seemed far-fetched. But a quarter-century on, AI agents are beginning to make it a reality. They can triage your inbox, do your grocery shopping, and even access your bank accounts. This new era is being called the agentic web. It will inevitably transform the internet—and whether the human web survives this transition is anyone’s guess. Find out how AI agents are transforming the internet, and what we stand to lose in the process. —Grace Huckins Are we there yet? Eliminating traffic deaths Every year, traffic crashes kill more than 1 million people worldwide. They’re also the leading cause of death for children and young adults. Cheap, proven ways to make roads safer exist, including tightening intersections with planters and lowering speed limits. But government logjams and red tape can make it difficult to roll out these changes. Still, some cities are making impressive progress by investing in public transit, extending curbs, and using cameras to spot danger zones in need of a redesign. Here’s how close we are to eradicating traffic deaths. —Sara Kiley Watson This story is the final part of “Are we there yet?”, our series that takes stock of six technologies that have long promised to change the world—and scores them on a progress meter. Subscribe to read the other five instalments in our new Impossible issue. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 A $1 trillion tech selloff has deepened fears of an AI bubbleBig AI bills and weak e
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