Cancel culture: the Internet’s gladiator arena where public accountability and viral takedowns collide. For some, it is a digital reckoning. For others, it is a Kafkaesque nightmare with no escape. But what if the same tech that enables cancel culture – social media algorithms and AI – turned against it? Could technology untangle the complexities of accountability, or would it just upgrade our chaos with a shiny new dystopian filter?

AI as the Referee of Internet Drama

AI already shapes much of our online experience. It decides what we see, hides what we should not, and occasionally recommends “who’s next” in our collective outrage (thanks, TikTok). AI could theoretically offer a digital justice system less prone to the mob mentality if tasked with managing cancel culture by:

• Adding Context: AI could analyse the bigger picture – was that decade-old tweet a clumsy joke or truly harmful? Intent and context might finally get a seat at the table.
• Fact-Checking in Real-Time: Before the online masses sharpen their pitchforks, AI could cross-check claims against credible sources and weed out misinformation.
• Cooling the Fury: Algorithms could detect viral outrage patterns and slow their spread, creating a pause for reflection – or at least a distraction involving cute animal videos.

Sounds like a win, right? But who moderates the moderator?

The Perils of Algorithmic Justice

AI-as-mediator feels like a Black Mirror episode waiting to happen. Sure, it could slow the cancel train, but the risks are as glaring as an all-caps email.

• Bias in the Code: AI is not free of human flaws. It learns from us, and we are messy. From facial recognition tech misidentifying people of colour to recommendation systems pushing harmful content, bias is not a bug; it is an unfortunate feature.
• Censorship Overreach: To calm the digital storm, AI might over-police dissent. What if your nuanced critique gets flagged as “divisive”? The Internet might become one big, bland group chat where nobody speaks their mind.
• Corporate Puppeteering: Who gets to program this justice machine? Tech companies thrive on outrage-fueled engagement. Handing them the keys to “fix” cancel culture could be like asking foxes to guard the henhouse – if the hens were our collective reputations.

Would cancel culture die or shapeshift into endless debates over whether the algorithm was too harsh, too lenient, or just plain wrong?

Outrage: The Original Viral Content

Cancel culture is not just a tech issue – it is deeply human. We love drama, villains, and the catharsis of a public downfall. AI can tweak how it plays out but cannot rewrite our instincts.

Even with an AI judge, outrage will find a way. Instead of dogpiling celebrities, we would ponder whether the algorithm made the right call. Spoiler alert: no one will agree.

A Kinder Internet, or Just a Shinier Mess?

Technology cancelling cancel culture is a fun thought experiment but not a silver bullet. Algorithms might add nuance and slow the mob but could just as easily amplify bias or stifle free expression. The fix is not more tech – we need humanity – empathy, forgiveness, and the ability to scroll past things we dislike without feeling the need to destroy them.