To build a better Internet in the age of AI, we need responsible AI bot principles. Here’s our proposal.

Cloudflare has a unique vantage point: we see not only how changes in technology shape the Internet, but also how new technologies can unintentionally impact different stakeholders. Take, for instance, the increasing reliance by everyday Internet users on AI–powered chatbots and search summaries. On the one hand, end users are getting information faster than ever before. On the other hand, web publishers, who have historically relied on human eyeballs to their website to support their businesses, are seeing a dramatic decrease in those eyeballs, which can reduce their ability to create original high-quality content. This cycle will ultimately hurt end users and AI companies (whose success relies on fresh, high-quality content to train models and provide services) alike.

We are indisputably at a point in time when the Internet needs clear “rules of the road” for AI bot behavior (a note on terminology: throughout this blog we refer to AI bots and crawlers interchangeably). We have had ongoing cross-functional conversations, both internally and with stakeholders and partners across the world, and it’s clear to us that the Internet at large needs key groups — publishers and content creators, bot operators, and Internet infrastructure and cybersecurity companies — to reach a Continue reading