As AI dramatically increases the volume of content and digital products available online, web entrepreneur Miles Noble argues that people may increasingly rely on trusted curators to identify what is genuinely useful, relevant and worth their attention.
For years, the internet has become better at connecting people with information. The arrival of increasingly capable AI tools is accelerating that process while also making it far easier to produce new content. According to web entrepreneur Miles Noble, this creates a different problem: helping people identify which of the growing number of available resources are actually worth their time.
That challenge is already visible in specialist digital ecosystems. SquareLocator, Miles’ curated discovery platform for the Squarespace community, now lists more than 1,300 products created by almost 80 independent creators, reflecting the growing number of resources competing to be noticed.
For independent developers, designers and creators, the problem is particularly relevant. Thousands of specialist digital products are being created every day, but producing a strong product does not necessarily mean that its intended audience will find it.
Miles believes the internet has unintentionally built an environment in which visibility can become disconnected from product quality.
“We spent 20 years optimising the internet to help people find information,” says Miles. “We now need to optimise it to help people make choices.”
For some independent creators, the importance of careful selection is already clear. Hannah Shaw, founder of Studio Founded, trained in museum curating before launching a full-service studio and template library. Her experience has shaped her belief that the strength of a collection depends on the judgement used to build it, rather than simply its size.
“We keep our collection small, with art-directed designs that carry a point of view,” says Hannah. “I prefer a curated collection of templates that can form part of a customer’s brand for years to come.”
That principle has particular relevance for independent creators. A developer may produce an excellent plugin. A designer might create a highly effective template. A small software business can build a tool that solves a genuine problem.
However, quality alone does not ensure that any of these products will be discovered. Larger businesses can spend heavily on SEO, paid advertising, content marketing and sophisticated digital campaigns. Independent creators often have considerably fewer resources available to compete for attention.
Roland van den Hout, co-founder of Squarespace plugin developer SQSMODS, says this challenge can continue even once a product has demonstrated its usefulness. “We’re living in an attention economy where the real problem isn’t access; it’s overload. More tools, more choices, and more noise compete for the same limited attention. That makes curation incredibly valuable.”
Roland continues: “SquareLocator helps people cut through that noise and find the Squarespace tools worth discovering. For us at SQSMODS, it means being found in the right context, by people already looking for ways to make Squarespace better.”
“The internet has become very good at rewarding visibility,” says Miles. “But visibility and quality aren’t necessarily the same thing.”
This becomes even more important in specialist ecosystems, where people frequently search for very particular solutions. A designer may need a specific Squarespace integration, while a business owner could be looking for a specialist template. A developer might need a tool designed around a very specific technical requirement.
The relevant resource may already be available, but discovering it can require navigating search results, social platforms, community conversations and individual websites. SquareLocator was created by Miles to address this issue. Launched in June 2026, the platform brings Squarespace templates, plugins, tools and courses from independent creators together in one curated discovery environment.
Rather than seeking to become an all-inclusive directory, SquareLocator puts greater emphasis on selected resources and clear ways to explore them. Miles sees this as an exercise in improving the filter rather than simply expanding the database.
“There’s a misconception that discovery means giving people more options,” he says. “Sometimes the most useful thing you can do is remove 90 per cent of the options and help someone understand why the remaining 10 per cent are worth looking at.”
Miles believes the importance of this approach could increase as AI makes digital creation faster and more accessible. An increase in products and content could give users more choice while simultaneously making it harder for individual creators to attract attention. Platforms that help people distinguish between visibility and genuine value could therefore play a larger role.
“AI is going to make it easier to create,” says Miles. “But if everyone can create more, the ability to discover the right things becomes even more important.”
While SquareLocator currently concentrates on Squarespace, Miles believes the underlying approach could work across other specialist communities. He sees an opportunity for niche ecosystems to develop smaller, focused platforms based on expertise, trust and recommendations rather than relying entirely on vast, indiscriminate directories.
“The creator economy doesn’t necessarily have an ideas problem,” he concludes. “It has a discoverability problem. There are incredible people building incredible things. The challenge is making sure the right people can find them.”
