What is Web 4.0 and why is it a technological challenge in the era of artificial intelligence?

And the Internet was born in the last century. More than 60 years later, a lot has changed. From being a military and academic project, today it keeps the world much more connected, and in real time.

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History tells us that there are several names in the creation of what we know today as the Internet, both in concept and in its technological support, from JCR Licklider to the actress and engineer Hedy Lamarr (we owe her the WiFi that we use today to stay connected). In addition, he also tells us about ARPANET as the first network that connected universities and research centers in the United States.

Already in the last decade of the 20th century we saw the creation of the World Wide Web, that is, the Web. In this field appears the name of Tim Berners-Lee, who introduced the concept of hypertext and the first browser. From then on, the Internet, or the Web to be more precise, will undergo a series of changes.

Are we facing Web 4.0?

The first thing is to know what we mean when we talk about Web 4.0. Manuel Santillán, a professor at the University of Lima, explains that it is about “a website where the digital world and the physical world are integrated almost continuously, with much more natural and contextual interactions”.

Furthermore, artificial intelligence is the main ingredient.

There is talk of a profound change. That is, we are witnessing a new way of sailing.

“We would go from ‘browsing’ screens to interacting with immersive digital environments, supported by augmented and virtual reality and spatial computing”explains the specialist. The mix of the physical and the virtual.

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And, well, at the beginning of 2026, a report from the EFE agency indicates that among the predictions that technology and cybersecurity companies have given is the arrival of Web 4.0, more intelligent, intuitive and predictive thanks to AI.

Thus we can see how OpenAI, the great AI dominant, launched its web browser called ChatGPT Atlas last year. Microsoft has boosted its Edge browser with the Copilot assistant, Perplexity has Comet, and Google added its AI Mode to the Chrome browser. But that doesn’t seem to be enough.

Santillán indicates that many predictions have been made for this year “but it is advisable to be cautious”. “What we will see in the coming years is more of a gradual expansion of these technologies, not a fully installed Web 4.0. “There are still important technical, regulatory and social challenges to resolve”he indicated.

Impact in many fields

What impacts can Web 4.0 have? What challenges does it pose to us?

Today we already know the impact of the web economically with a cryptocurrency system, in entertainment with streaming platforms and social networks, and academically with the advances of artificial intelligence. But all of this in a Web 4.0 scenario needs support.

This challenge translates into infrastructure for high-speed, low-latency connectivity that exhibits distributed computing capacity and solid technological standards.

In the Peruvian case, Santillán indicates, the main challenge is the digital divide. Something that creeps up from the previous levels of the Internet.

“There is progress, but also limitations in connectivity, technical capabilities and equitable access. The challenge is how to prepare ourselves, with investment, public policies and digital training, so as not to be left behind in this transition”he points out.

And how will it impact? Although socially it can promote more inclusion, it can also lead to greater isolation or technological dependence; It can generate new business possibilities but also concentrate power on large platforms.

But it is ethically where risks also appear. “It poses serious challenges: from the protection of biometric and emotional data to the risk of algorithmic manipulation and loss of user autonomy”comments the specialist.

Sooner or later Web 4.0 will arrive. We are on that path. The question is: can we be prepared?