Digg’s New Chapter: Downsizing Amid AI Chaos

The online news site Digg is cutting jobs as it confronts a flood of artificial‑intelligence bots that have upset its voting and comment systems. The move follows the company’s 2023 relaunch, which struggled to find a place beside big social networks. CEO Justin Mezzell explained that the platform could no longer rely on genuine user interaction, a cornerstone of any community. The influx of smart bots made it hard to tell real votes from fake ones, eroding trust in the site’s content. Without reliable engagement data, Digg’s business model faltered.Founder Kevin Rose, who had teamed with former rival Alexis Ohanian to buy Digg, will return full time next month. Rose plans to steer a new strategy that could revive the platform’s former popularity of 40 million monthly visitors. Mezzell emphasized that Digg will not disappear; instead, it will focus on a smaller core team to rebuild the service. The company has not disclosed how many workers will be affected by the layoffs. Digg’s experience shows how quickly AI can disrupt online communities, forcing companies to rethink their foundations.