Before chatbots and content farms, the penny press was generating slop at industrial scale. What the nineteenth century can teach us about today’s AI crisis — and what might come next.

We tend to think of the “infinite scroll” as a by-product of the smartphone era. But its roots stretch deep into the nineteenth century—a period that has a lot to teach us about today’s attention economy and the rise of LLMs.

In 1532, a charismatic inventor named Giulio Camillo promised a technological breakthrough: a device that would unlock the wisdom of the ages and make it available to the average person. He raised money, impressed the cognoscenti, and dazzled the crowds – and failed to deliver a working product. Sound familiar?