Key point: AI systems are becoming independent network users, presenting enterprises with strategic decisions about which automated access to content to permit.
AI traffic on the network is growing significantly faster than classical human traffic: An analysis by Fastly shows an increase of approximately 30 percent in AI requests between January and May 2026. For CTOs, this becomes an infrastructural and strategic challenge.
Fastly analysed the data traffic on its global network between January and May 2026 and documented a qualitative shift in internet traffic: AI-based requests accounted for an increase of around 30 percent, while classical, human-generated data traffic is growing much more slowly. This continuously shifts the share of total traffic in favour of automated AI systems.
The study distinguishes between two types of AI traffic with different impacts: AI crawlers systematically search websites to obtain training data for models – similar to classical search engine crawlers, but at significantly larger scale. AI fetchers, on the other hand, retrieve information in real-time to answer specific user queries, for example in AI assistants for product comparisons or automated tasks. Both types place different burdens on infrastructures: AI systems access origin systems more frequently than human users, thus generating additional load on servers and applications.
Enterprises must now decide whether to permit automated access to their content, restrict it, or block it completely. This decision has direct business consequences: those who block access protect content but potentially lose visibility in AI-powered services. Those who pursue open strategies can benefit from stronger presence in AI-based platforms – while simultaneously losing training data.
For CTOs, transparency regarding AI access becomes strategically crucial: which systems access which data and for what purpose? Precise control enables differentiation between crawlers, fetchers and malicious bots and allows access to be managed according to business strategy. This requires new monitoring and traffic management approaches, as classical bot defence is insufficient for differentiated handling.
Source: www.it-daily.net · Published 14 June 2026
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