Cloudflare says AI agents now outnumber humans on the web

Cloudflare reports that, for the first time, AI agents and other automated software now generate over half of all Internet traffic—up from under a third just a year ago. Daily requests from AI tools shot up 1,700% in the past year, while human visits to some sites dropped by as much as 40%. This shift is squeezing web business models, as non-human browsers don’t see ads or pay for content.

• AI bots now generate over 50% of web traffic
• Cloudflare saw agent traffic grow 1,700% in a year
• Human visits to some sites fell by up to 40%
• Automated requests consume bandwidth but don’t produce ad revenue
• Web businesses face pressure to adapt to this new normal