Cloudflare Blocks 416 Billion AI Bot Requests

Cloudflare has intercepted over 416 billion requests from AI bots targeting its customers' content since early July 2025. CEO Matthew Prince stated at a recent event that this massive blocking effort reflects a fundamental platform shift, fundamentally altering the internet's long-standing business model reliant on content driving traffic and ad revenue. He expressed deep concern over potential consolidation and the need to safeguard a fair online ecosystem for all creators.

Prince elaborated on the challenges facing businesses and creators, emphasizing Cloudflare's commitment to protecting them on a level playing field. He specifically cited Google's integration of its AI and search crawlers as a significant issue. This consolidation means that blocking AI scrapers also prevents content from being indexed by Google Search, creating a dilemma for creators who need visibility but don't want their work used for AI training.

This situation presents a critical challenge, as creators cannot opt out of AI data collection without also losing their essential presence in Google search results. Prince criticized this as leveraging past monopolies to secure future ones, underscoring the urgent need for policies that ensure a diverse and thriving internet for businesses of all sizes.