Cloudflare’s New Stance on AI Scraping

Matthew Prince, co‑founder and chief executive of Cloudflare, outlined the firm’s recent rollout of a tool that blocks unauthorized AI bots from crawling websites unless the operators pay a fee. The measure is intended to create a financial exchange for the owners of online content, which has traditionally been accessed for free by large language‑model providers.

Impact of AI Answer Engines on Publishers

Prince highlighted a shift from traditional search engines to AI answer engines that summarize content directly, reducing the need for users to click through to original sites. He said this change makes it roughly ten times harder for publishers to generate traffic, especially for purely informational pieces. While e‑commerce sites still benefit because purchases require a visit, news outlets and other content creators see traffic “falling off a cliff.”

Creating Scarcity and New Value Exchanges

To address the loss of traffic, Prince argued that the market must create scarcity – a condition where content is not freely replicated. Cloudflare’s tools can identify AI bots (such as those from Perplexity, ByteDance, or other providers) and block them, giving publishers control over who accesses their material. The company is offering these protections for free to any online content creator who wants to enforce a pay‑for‑access model.

Publisher Partnerships and Early Results

According to Prince, major publishers—including the Associated Press and Ziff Davis—have responded enthusiastically, describing a shift from “depressed” to “optimistic.” He cited a notable deal where Reddit reportedly receives close to $140 million annually from Google and OpenAI, compared with about $20 million for The New York Times, a difference of roughly seven times. These figures suggest that AI‑driven platforms may reward unique, community‑generated content more than traditional news outlets.

Global Internet Outages and Seasonal Blocking

Prince shared observations from Cloudflare’s network, which spans 125 countries, noting a pattern of internet shutdowns timed with school examinations in certain regions. Governments in poorer areas sometimes disable internet access to prevent cheating, while leaving it on in wealthier regions. Prince expressed concern that such tactics normalize broader governmental control of internet access, which could later be applied during elections or civil unrest.

Relations with U.S. Administrations

Prince reported consistently positive relationships with the Obama, first Trump, Biden, and the second Trump administrations. He noted that the current administration has taken a more aggressive stance on protecting internet openness, especially regarding trade issues linked to encryption backdoors.

Future Outlook and Core Concerns

Prince said the biggest issue keeping him awake is the potential breakdown of the internet’s business model. If creators lack incentives, content production could dwindle, threatening the very purpose of Cloudflare’s services. Conversely, he is optimistic about the emergence of a market that rewards creators for filling knowledge gaps, likening the current state of human knowledge to a block of Swiss cheese full of holes. He believes that aligning AI companies with content creators will lead to a healthier ecosystem.

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