When the Internet Feels “Dead,” Live Training Comes Back to Life

Written By Page Chen

Over the last few years, you've probably felt it, something strange happening online. Your feeds feel repetitive. Your search results feel thin. Your social platforms feel… off.

And it’s not your imagination.

We’re living in a moment where huge portions of the internet are now algorithmically generated AI-”slop” written articles, AI-sludge images, bot conversations, and synthetic engagement. Some people call it the Dead Internet Theory. Not because the internet is literally dead, but because it increasingly feels less human.

And here’s the fascinating thing:

As the internet feels more artificial… people are returning to what feels real.

Human connection…

Human conversation…

Human learning…

That’s why instructor-led training is surging back. People want real experts, real dialogue, real time to think and question and try. But while learners are craving human-led experiences, leaders are craving proof.

They want to know:

Did people remember what they learned?

Did they apply it in their work?

Did it actually create impact?

And this is where the opportunity emerges. Because if the internet is flooded with auto-generated content, then authentic human insight becomes more valuable than ever. Whether or not the Internet is “dead,” something important is happening: people feel the difference, and they crave what the web is losing.

And that desire is reshaping the learning and development (L&D) landscape.

Ironically, as AI-generated content explodes across digital channels, live, instructor-led training (ILT) is trending up again, both in-person and virtual.

Why?

Because learners increasingly want:

  • Authenticity  (a real person responding in real time)

  • Connection (shared cognitive and emotional experience)

  • Meaning-making (dialogue, not content dumps)

  • Credibility (human expertise vs. AI guesswork)

After years of remote learning investments and self-paced digital content, organizations are recognizing that:

  • attention is harder to hold online

  • motivation is fragile

  • and content alone no longer equals capability.

People want learning experiences that feel alive, not another auto-generated “top 10 leadership tips” article. This is exactly why ILT, once predicted to fade, has resurged as a premium, high-impact modality.

But companies now face a second challenge: How do you prove that human-centered training actually worked?

This is what elevator9 is designed for.

We support and amplify live training with Human Designed, Learning Science backed, AI-enhanced follow-up that measures retention, application, and impact. Not bot noise. Not generic AI outputs. Real human responses from real learners, analyzed through a rigorous cognitive presence framework.

Because as learners return to live settings, leaders want evidence, hard data that proves: 

  • what learners actually retained

  • what they’re applying

  • and where behavior is genuinely changing

And they’re right to demand it.

Traditional post-training surveys, NPS scores, and LMS data don’t come close to capturing the real picture. This is where the Dead Internet Theory becomes more than a cultural curiosity, it becomes a metaphor for the current L&D challenge:

When digital spaces are saturated with low-quality, AI-generated noise, organizations need high-quality, human-driven signals to evaluate learning.

That is the fundamental gap elevator9 fills 

elevator9: A Human-Centered Approach to Post-Training Insight

elevator9 combines the best of both worlds:

  • Human connection during live learning

  • Learning Science backed, AI-enhanced follow-ups that measure retention, application, and impact

This approach does not rely on generic AI content flooding inboxes.
It relies on:

  • thoughtfully crafted prompts

  • intentional cognitive scaffolding

  • expert-designed analysis frameworks

  • and a system that captures real learner responses, not bot-generated noise

elevator9 generates data that executives actually care about:

  • Are people remembering the training weeks later?

  • Are they applying it in their workflow?

  • Did the training change performance or business outcomes?

It’s not AI replacing the instructor, and it’s not AI replacing learner voices.
It’s AI amplifying the signal from the real human experience that took place during training.

Why This Matters Now

If we zoom out, the Dead Internet Theory (at least its non-conspiratorial core) captures a pivotal moment:

  • The web is getting noisier.

  • Content is getting cheaper.

  • Authenticity is getting rarer.

  • Human moments matter more than ever.

In this environment, live training becomes a differentiator, not a cost center. And learning retention becomes the force multiplier that keeps those human-led experiences alive long after the session ends.

elevator9 doesn’t fight the rise of AI; it aligns with it, responsibly.

It uses AI not to replace people but to do what humans can do at scale and without bias:

  • detect meaningful patterns,

  • interpret cognitive presence,

  • and generate insights strong enough to guide future decisions.

It ensures that in a world where so much content feels artificially generated, your learning outcomes are unquestionably human, high-quality, and real.

  • Live, instructor-led learning is rising because it delivers what digital content cannot: humanity.

  • And companies like elevator9 are thriving because they ensure that these human-centered experiences lead to measurable, lasting change.

  • In a world drowning in synthetic content, the organizations that invest in authentic learning and measure it with human-designed intelligence will stand out.

  • Because when everything online feels artificial, real human learning becomes a competitive advantage.

Page Chen