AI scavengers, the automated crawlers that scour the internet for user-generated content, are facing their first major backlash in the form of Patreon. The popular crowdfunding platform has joined forces with cloud-based security firm Cloudflare to crack down on bots that train artificial intelligence models on creators' work without permission.
Patreon's decision comes as more and more creators have been discovering that AI scraping is a major problem for them. Without proper permissions, these bots can access vast amounts of user-generated content, including videos, images, and even entire albums. The practice has led to accusations of copyright infringement and exploitation by some creators.
Cloudflare's involvement in the crackdown highlights the growing concern over AI scraping. By blocking bots that train on unauthorized content, Patreon is setting a precedent for other platforms to follow suit. This move also underscores the importance of creators taking control of their own digital assets, rather than relying solely on websites using robots.txt alone to block unwanted activity.