Top AI Bots Blocked by Websites: A Deep Dive

The article “The AI Bots That ~140 Million Websites Block the Most” explores the significant issue of AI bots accessing and crawling websites. It highlights the tension between the benefits search engine bots provide (driving referral traffic) and the costs associated with excessive bot activity. Websites often block bots to manage resources and mitigate risks like data scraping, denial-of-service attacks, and manipulation of website metrics. The core argument emphasizes a “social contract” between search engines and website owners, where the value exchange lies in the referral traffic that search engines generate. This contract helps explain why most websites refrain from blocking legitimate search engine crawlers. The article doesn't explicitly list the specific AI bots being blocked, focusing more on the overall phenomenon and the trade-offs involved. However, the implication is that numerous AI bots, beyond those used by search engines, are impacting websites negatively. The text highlights the financial and operational burdens associated with dealing with unwanted bot traffic. The scale of the problem is emphasized by the statistic that approximately 140 million websites are actively blocking certain AI bots. This suggests a widespread need for website owners to implement strategies to manage bot access effectively. The article advocates for a balanced approach, recognizing the essential role of search engine bots while addressing the detrimental effects of malicious or excessively intrusive bot activity. It indirectly proposes a careful consideration of which bots to block, prioritizing the protection of website resources and the integrity of data while maintaining access for beneficial bots such as those from search engines. The overarching message is that the management of AI bots presents a complex challenge for website owners, requiring a nuanced understanding of the benefits and risks involved.

(Source: https://ahrefs.com/blog/ai-bot-block-rates/)