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 consensus on certain principles that AI bots should follow.

Of course, agreeing on what exactly those principles are will take time and require continued discussion and collaboration, and a policy framework can’t perfectly capture every technical concern. Nevertheless, we think it’s important to start a conversation that we hope others will join. After all, a rough draft is better than a blank page.

That is why we are proposing the following responsible AI bot principles as starting points:

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