“It would be difficult to find anyone who has dedicated more time to constructing or fixating on the online zeitgeist, for better or worse,” Alexis Ohanian said during his self-introduction at Monday’s BRIDGE Summit in Abu Dhabi.

Ohanian, a founding partner at the venture capital firm Seven Seven Six, is most widely recognized as the co-founder and former executive chairman of Reddit. He noted that “being constantly online was an essential part of the role,” during a discussion with TIME executive editor Nikhil Kumar. TIME is a media partner for the BRIDGE Summit, an event that has assembled a global community of creators, policymakers, investors, technologists, media institutions, and cultural leaders to deliberate on the media landscape and its future.

However, Ohanian stated that the rise of artificial intelligence has rendered platforms like Reddit, which previously functioned as connection hubs, less human. “A conservative estimate would be that 20% of all content on social media is fake in one way or another,” he remarked, aligning with concerns others have identified. “No one is truly immune,” he continued, elaborating that AI models trained on social media data have encouraged the mass production of content, frequently using AI, purely to influence those models.

Ohanian admitted he is uncertain how this issue will be resolved—“Someone will need to figure out the next iteration of social media, one that confirms humanity or lets us discern who is real without resorting to retinal scans”—but he also explained why he remains optimistic despite this technological shift.

“As our screens become a hundred times more compelling and advanced, I believe a part of our humanity is diminished,” he said, adding that this will simultaneously amplify the craving for real-world, human-centric experiences. “Live events are poised to be one of the most positive outcomes of this AI wave, a benefit that people might not immediately recognize.”

Ohanian, who also became an investor in the Los Angeles professional women’s soccer team Angel City FC in 2020, stated that “the inherent humanity of sport is undeniable” and that he is also “bullish” on theater staging a “comeback” within the next ten years. He said the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the critical importance of in-person connection. “In this post-AI world, it is clear to me that gathering for live, in-person events is the final authentic frontier in entertainment.”