Key Points:
- There is an ongoing conflict (“cat-and-mouse game”) between web publishers and AI crawlers.
- Crawlers are essential for various functions: powering search engines, setting prices, aggregating travel listings, monitoring web security, enabling accessibility, and preserving archives.
- Their role is critical not only in commerce but also for academics, journalists, and civil societies in conducting investigative research.
Executive Summary:
The article from MIT Technology Review discusses the escalating competition between web publishers and AI crawlers, asserting that the outcomes may lead to a more closed web environment for users. Crawlers, which are essential for various internet functionalities and information access, are facing constraints as publishers react to their methods, potentially hindering the open nature of the internet that users have come to rely on.
12ft.io Link: https://12ft.io/https://www-technologyreview-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/11/1111518/ai-crawler-wars-closed-web/amp/
Archive.org Link: https://web.archive.org/web/https://www-technologyreview-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/11/1111518/ai-crawler-wars-closed-web/amp/
Original Link: https://www-technologyreview-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/11/1111518/ai-crawler-wars-closed-web/amp/
for more on see the post on bypassing methods