The web is increasingly being shared between humans and bots, with concerns that the internet is losing its human presence. A major report by cyber security company Imperva reveals that nearly half of all internet traffic comes from bots, an increase of 2% from the previous year. In countries like Ireland, bot traffic accounts for 71% of internet activity. The rise in bots is due to the use of generative artificial intelligence and large language models, with some becoming sophisticated enough to appear legitimate. This widespread use of bots has led to problems for online services like Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok, with measures being taken to combat automated accounts.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humans now share the web equally with bots | Increase in bot presence | More automated content and decreased human activity | Adoption of generative AI and large language models |
| Internet traffic from bots reached a record high | More bot-generated internet traffic | Increased reliance on bots for generating online content | Adoption of generative AI and large language models |
| Automated bots becoming increasingly sophisticated | More sophisticated bot behavior | Bots using residential internet connections to appear legitimate | Advancements in bot technology and AI capabilities |
| Rise of bots causing problems for online services | Online services struggle to control bots | Online services implementing measures to combat automated accounts | Increase in bot-generated content spread across platforms |
| Platforms considering charging users to limit bots | Introduction of user fees | Limiting automated accounts on online platforms | Controlling the spread of automated content |