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Ever since AI chatbots arrived, it feels as if the media has been on the losing end of a war of attrition. Chatbots are surging in popularity, and the more people use AI to get answers instead of search results, the fewer visits to the websites that provide those answers. Even Google, whose business model depends on monetizing search, is pushing deeper into AI, and industry data shows AI bots are flourishing. However, actions have a habit of inspiring reactions. Lawsuits are mounting as more media companies take on the AI giants over copyright, which may yet prove decisiverecent rulings notwithstanding. And publishers are increasing their website defenses against AI crawlers, blocking more of them than ever. And now we may have hit a tipping point: Cloudflare, a major internet infrastructure provider, has taken a stand in the conflict. In an announcement designed for maximum impact, the company said it would begin blocking AI scrapers by default on the websites it manages. If you’re a site operator on Cloudflare’s network, you will now need to actively allow AI bots to index your content. If you don’t, they get blocked. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/mediacopilot-logo-ss.png","headline":"Media CoPilot","description":"Want more about how AI is changing media? Never miss an update from Pete Pachal by signing up for Media CoPilot. To learn more visit mediacopilot.substack.com","substackDomain":"https:\/\/mediacopilot.substack.com\/","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}} Clout in the cloud Cloudflare manages about 20% of all internet traffic, so the implications of the move are significant. And so is the business opportunity: With the announcement, Cloudflare is also launching a marketplace for bot traffic. Instead of blocking AI bots completely, site owners will be able to charge them a fee for access via the new Pay Per Crawl programessentially a micropayment system. A few startups, such as TollBit and ScalePost, operate similar systems, but considering CloudFlare’s scale, it may have instantly become their biggest competitor. Cloudflare is a content delivery network (CDN), a crucial but largely invisible part of the internet to most users. A CDN will cache content to keep it closer to end users, generally speeding up web traffic. It runs many other related services, toothings like preventing distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, enabling secure connections, and hosting websitesbut mostly it’s a middleman between website visitors and website servers, optimizing delivery and ensuring security. The way AI bots interact with websites is usually managed by each site’s Robots Exclusion Protocol (robots.txt), but it’s largely an honor system that depends on bots accurately identifying themselves and then following the rules, which they tend to liberally interpret. Cloudflare’s influence isn’t regulation per se, but it may give that standard some de facto teeth. The company claims it “identifies and distinguishes AI crawlers through its sophisticated bot detection system.” If that means Cloudflare can detect, trace, and perhaps even punish bad actors who ignore or bypass the protocol, it could mean the tides are turning. However, there is the nagging reality of the other 80% of the internet. Other CDN giants, such as Akamai, would need to get on board to really have an effect, but even that would only amount to about half of web activity. And large parts of the rest of the internet aren’t motivated to act: Google, Meta, and Microsoft operate much of the infrastructure that supports their massive, scalable businesses, and they’re all in the business of building AI models so they have an interest in maximizing AI crawler activity. Still, the pushback is real. Cloudflare’s announcement was deeply planned: the press release includes quotes from dozens of media executivesfrom Time to Dotdash Meredith and even content-based tech platforms like Quora. Although some in the group are media players who are suing AI companies, you get the sense that the others are using this moment to voice their own indignation at what they see as the wide-scale theft of the lifeblood of their industry. That indignation is fueling a new consensus, which is reflected in the many content licensing deals publishers have signed with AI companies over the past two years: that AI summarization should require some form of compensation. Monetizing the internet of bots The Cloudflare news gives publishers a more solid foundation to not just mount a defense against AI bots, but to build on that consensusto turn the rising robot activity into an opportunity. A comprehensive strategy around the growing “internet of bots” should include three elements: Block or introduce a toll for AI scraping: Identifying bots is conceptually straightforward, but has practical challenges because they multiply and sometimes mask what they are. Build for bots: Publishers should build a good user experience, and that goes for bots, tooas long as they pay to get in. They should have real-time access to simply presented, accurate information to fuel the best possible summaries, with correct citations. Build branded AI experiences: For the people who do come to your site, give them a reason to stay. Going back to ChatGPT for every query isn’t idealfor anyone. The third element is important because, while publishers are threatened by unscrupulous AI bots, they can’t deny that people still want to use them. AI answers remove friction andare changing expectations around searcheven site search. Publishers shouldn’t just acknowledge that, but take advantage of it to keep audiences on its own site. All of this depends on being able to separate bot traffic from human traffic. And if Cloudflare is indeed only the first CDN to make this move, there’s a hope that publishers won’t have to wait for a favorable court ruling or new regulations to get the teeth they need. However, there is still a role that the government can play. Cloudflare’s sophisticated bot detection would have an even greater effect if it were illegal for bots to hide their true nature and try to pass for humans. Such a rule would be simple and strongly encourage a fairer information ecosystem, one where publishers can start designing the right experiences for the right audiences. If the future of websites is to serve up the best experience to a bot, they should at least have clarity on what that is. {"blockType":"creator-network-promo","data":{"mediaUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2025\/03\/mediacopilot-logo-ss.png","headline":"Media CoPilot","description":"Want more about how AI is changing media? Never miss an update from Pete Pachal by signing up for Media CoPilot. To learn more visit mediacopilot.substack.com","substackDomain":"https:\/\/mediacopilot.substack.com\/","colorTheme":"blue","redirectUrl":""}}
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E-Commerce
Aside from the obvious, one of the best parts of the work-from-home revolution is being able to outfit your workspace as you see fit. And if you spend your days squinting at a tiny laptop screen, yelling into a tin-can microphone, and wondering if your spine is going to make it into the next decade, youre doing it wrong. So take some of that money youre saving on your commute, coffee, lunch out, and post-work happy hours and redirect it toward some items thatll let you work more efficiently and more comfortably. These must-haves are absolutely, positively worth the extra dough. Here they are in order of most to least important. The best network you can cobble together For most office-goers, the workday is a delicate balance between the three hours of actual work your job requires and the five hours you have to kill by making yourself look busy. At home, on the other hand, you can do other things with that downtime. So the idea is to create a much downtime as possible, and one way to do that is to do your job better and faster. If your video calls are constantly pixelated, your files take eons to upload, and your high-speed internet is anything but, youre stealing precious time from yourself. Don’t settle for basic internet if you’re relying on it for your livelihood. Upgrade to the fastest connection you can afford. It’s the silent, unsung hero of productivity. But fast internet speeds arent enough: you need also need to sling those bits and bytes around your home with speed and precision. Look into mesh networking equipment that leverages the Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 7 standards: Amazon Eero, TP-Link Deco, Google Nest, Netgear Orbi, and Netgear Nighthawk are all solid options in the $300$400 range. Monitors: go big and stay home A very, very close second to high-speed internet: get yourself some decent monitors. My favorite setup? An ultrawide monitor for files, web browsing, email, and the like, and a large-ish, high-res, standard-width monitor for project work. Look for something with good resolution (4K is nice, but QHD is often plenty), decent size (27 inches is a sweet spot), and good ergonomics (height adjustable, tilt, swivel). Ultrawides and 4K monitors can be had starting at around $200 each. Having more screen real estate means less tabbing, less window wrestling, and more actual work. Your eyes will thank you, too, as you won’t be hunched over a tiny laptop screen squinting at spreadsheets. A backside-worthy ergonomic office chair Funny thing about office life: the internet is often on the slow side, decent monitors are hard to come by, but those office chairsespecially if you work for a big companyare generally kind of awesome. Its the one thing thats hard to replicate at home without spending some coin. But your derriere spends more time in that chair than anywhere else, so pamper it. If you really want to throw down, think Herman Miller, Steelcase, or something equally overengineered (in a good way). You can also find some surprisingly good chairs in the $200 to $300 price range as well, though. A smart desk with height control This might feel like the ultimate luxury and its possible that itll eat up the bulk of your budget, but trust me: your future self will thank you. Standing desks aren’t just a fad; they’re a legitimate way to break up the monotony of sitting and theyll help keep your blood flowing. A smart standing desk, one that glides effortlessly between sitting and standing with a push of a button, is a glorious thing. FlexiSpot, Uplift Desk, and Fully are all solid contenders that allow you to seamlessly transition throughout your day. If youre not keen on spending on a motorized desk, keep an eye out for manually adjustable ones. Theyre quieter, cheaper, and only take a few seconds longer to adjust. A decent microphone Once youve gotten yourself all kitted out with the above items, its time to turn your attention to communication. While a great microphone isnt going to make or break your career, it sends the message that youre serious about work and, better yet, the good ones have features that can block out unwanted background noise like lawnmowers and barking dogs. Splurge on a dedicated USB microphone like Logitechs Blue Yeti Nano or the Rode NT-USB Mini run a very reasonable $100. Your colleagues will thank you, your clients will respect you, and you’ll finally sound like the articulate, highly competent professional you are, right? Right?!
Category:
E-Commerce
Child psychologists tell us that around the age of five or six, children begin to seriously contemplate the world around them. Its a glorious moment every parent recognizeswhen young minds start to grasp the magnificence and mystery of the universe beyond their nurseries and bedrooms. That wondermenttheir very own aha” moments, and the questions they provokeare what truly make us human. And this summer, thanks to both the scientific triumphs of astronomers and the creative feats of pop culture, we are reminded once again that curiosity is our most powerful gift. Remarkably, the profound questions asked by our youngest philosophers continue to echo throughout our lives, returning again and again as the most compelling of all inquiries. Definitely discoverable, possibly livable Earlier this summer, the James Webb Space Telescopelaunched in 2021 and continually gathering data on planets beyond our solar systemidentified a previously unknown exoplanet. What made this discovery particularly groundbreaking is that, unlike earlier exoplanets detected indirectly by observing the dimming of starlight, this one was directly imaged. Even more exciting: according to NASA, this new exoplanetnamed CE Antliae and roughly 100 times the size of Earthis, based on its average temperature, theoretically capable of sustaining habitable life. I find this moment thrilling for many reasons. First, I hold the deepest admiration for the brilliance of NASA scientistsand the researchers whose work they built uponthat made this discovery possible. Second, it serves as a powerful reminder of the essential role government plays in pushing the boundaries of knowledge. These physical frontiers also invite us to explore existential ones. The possibility of a habitable planet offers a momentary escape from the noise of the daily news cycle, and reopens a question that has captivated us since ancient times: Are we alone? Simply looking up at the night skya universal giftplaces us in the company of Democritus, Epicurus, and later, the Persians, who speculated about extraterrestrial life as far back as 400 BCE. Its one of humanitys oldest questions, fueled by an innate curiosity that rarely yields immediate answers. Science has its own schedule Of course, were far from confirming whether this exoplanet has its own version of Uber or inhabitants with built-in AI. Science operates on its own timeline. To have directly observed an exoplanet only five years after Webbs launch could be seen as astonishingly fastor perhaps not, given the advanced tools now at our disposal, from machine learning to quantum computing. In todays attention economy, dominated by thumb-scrolling and short-form content, we risk losing sight of the long view that science requires. The rise of generative AI and its future successor, AGI, may well disrupt the pace of discovery. But even then, the scientific process will still demand patience and rigor. We must remember: it took nearly a century to confirm Einsteins theory of gravitational waves. The theory of continental drift was proposed in 1912, but not proven until the 1960s. Black holes were hypothesized in the early 1900s, yet the first image didnt arrive until 2019. One of the many reasons I advocate so strongly for STEM education is that children need to understand science as a processa patient, layered accumulation of insight. Humanitys oldest questionare we alone in the universe?likely wont be answered quickly. And even if it is, critical thinking and the scientific method remain essential. Yes, flashes of insight can transform history. But even those leaps must launch from a foundation of conventional wisdom. Science is a continuous journey of discoveryboth awe-inspiring and, at times, unsettling. Pop culture meets the whats out there question Movies and literature have long reflected our obsession with the unknownfrom 2001: A Space Odyssey and Contact to Dune. This summer, Alien: Earth premieres. Reading about this reimagining of first contact, I couldnt help but think of CE Antliae and how science and art intersect. The discovery of a potentially habitable planet pushes us to reconsider what we define as science fiction. There are many paths through which humanity seeks to understand its place in the universe. And we need both our most gifted scientists and our most imaginative artists to help us askand keep askingthe cosmic questions that first stirred our six-year-old minds and have never let go.
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E-Commerce
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