I was just thinking the other day that the plot of the matrix would make a lot more sense now.
The ai is running a simulation of the 90s to keep growing because everything after that is tainted with internet memes and increasing amount of ai slop.
Peak was mid to late 2000's. Late enough for most people to have broadband Internet and lots of websites with user submitted content that bypassed the traditional cultural gatekeepers, before smartphones and social media ruined everything.