Blocking the Internet Archive Will Not Stop AI - The Atlantic
archive.today webpage capture Saved from history←priornext→ 4 Nov 2026 00:33:18 UTC All snapshots from host www.theatlantic.com WebpageScreenshot sharedownload .zipreport bug or abuseBuy me a coffee SKIP TO CONTENT Site Navigation Popular Latest Newsletters Sign In Subscribe Election Night at The Atlantic: Watch your favorite writers discuss the midterm results at 9 p.m. ET. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Why the Internet Needs a Memory Publishers have every right to challenge businesses that exploit their work—but the Wayback Machine has become collateral damage. By Brewster Kahle Illustration by Adam Maida / The Atlantic OCTOBER 19, 2026 SHARE SAVE In 1996, during the early years of the web, I could see that those of us who were participating online were creating an extraordinary new record of human activity—and allowing it to disappear almost as quickly as we made it. The web was becoming the place where government officials made promises, journalists published information in the publ