Search engines have been using website crawlers (bots) for years. These bots are what make it possible to display a list of results whenever you search for anything on Google or Bing (for example).
The concept is simple: the bots crawl the internet for websites and find content on web pages; they index those pages and then provide the most relevant links for whatever term the user has searched for.
The above is a positive example of what crawlers and bots are capable of.
However, not all of them have pure intentions. Spam bots, for example, can be very hard to deal with and keep away from your website's contact forms. Viruses & Trojans are also always a major concern.
A recent addition to this mix is the introduction of 'AI Scraper Bots', which presents a new challenge for website owners and developers.
AI scrapers crawl through webpages looking for content & data to train AI models with. These artificial intelligence platforms can use the data to generate text passages, create chatbot answers, and generate realistic AI-powered images.
All the data gathered is fed into the AI model, meaning its knowledge database continues growing over time. ChatGPT and Google Gemini are the most popular AI tools that use this data, and new platforms, such as Chinese-developed DeepSeek, are emerging.
Undoubtedly, this emerging technology has divided opinion across the World Wide Web. Many website publishers feel it is a clear breach of their privacy and intellectual property, with bots taking their website data without prior consent.
This can impact on a website in various ways. For example, if somebody asks a question in the search engine and receives an automated answer at the top of the search results page, they will be unlikely to click on your website link if the answer they have found is sufficient.
The information provided in the response could have even been lifted directly from your website and then added to the AI's learned information, meaning that once the bots have your content, they can begin serving it without crediting the source. This, in turn, means the user has even less reason to visit the original place where the content was published.
Website security has also been flagged as a concern as the collected data may include private details such as emails, text messages, social media posts and private account details.
The proliferation of AI bots may also flood websites with traffic, overwhelm servers, and deny legitimate users access to the site. AI can also create more realistic-looking phishing links and emails to mislead users.
On the positive side, your data could be used to train the AI bots to be more useful in the future, which could present many opportunities.
There is value in your content being seen. As more people turn to AI as a search engine, prioritising original and authentic content, you are more likely to achieve a higher search engine position.
Even if a smaller percentage of visitors click on a links content, it may be seen by a higher volume of people with the support of AI. Other authors may also reference your content in their posts, which, in turn, increases your search engine position.
The decision as to whether you should block AI bots from accessing your website comes down to your personal view of artificial intelligence.
If you are concerned about your website becoming obsolete at the hands of AI-powered answers, you can use several methods to deter AI bots from visiting and scraping your website.
Whilst the future of AI does sound exciting and will no doubt provide many opportunities in the coming years, there is a clear fear amongst content creators that their work is not safe from crawlers coming to claim the content as their own.
Understanding the landscape and challenges is key to maintaining control of your website's content.
If you would like to find out more about how we are helping our clients keep up to date with the latest developments across websites and digital marketing, please get in touch.
