Bots now generate the majority of web traffic, prompting Cloudflare to charge AI firms
Cloudflare reports that bots accounted for almost 60% of web requests in May, earlier than expected, and has introduced a setting to block AI training on site content.
Cloudflare announced that bots now represent about 60% of all web traffic, a shift that arrived months ahead of the CEO's forecast for the end of next year. To address the surge of AI crawlers harvesting content without returning traffic or revenue, the firm introduced a "Disallow AI Training" feature that separates indexing from model training. Apple, Google and Microsoft have pledged to honor the new setting.
Prince emphasized that the growing number of AI companies—potentially hundreds of thousands—must pay for the data that fuels their systems, or risk undermining the economics of digital media. He also called for mechanisms to recognize and reward creators, suggesting awards akin to an Academy or Nobel for knowledge. The move comes as other media owners, including Sony and Warner Music, pursue legal action over AI-related copyright claims.
Why it matters
It highlights how AI-driven bots dominate web traffic and raises the need for fair compensation for online content creators.
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