LINA have been doing deep dives into the world of AI Bots (we recently wrote this article all about it), to find out how we can help newsrooms navigate these new developments.
At the LINA Summit, many members talked about AI scraping site content. Some wanted to know how to stop it, others wanted to know if there was a way to make money from it.
Here’s what you need to know:
- 51% of web traffic is non-human (ie, bots).
- The more specific the content, the more attractive it is to AI Bots.
- Google’s AI Overview tool has translated into a 34.5% decrease in traffic to websites through search engines – and this referral traffic has dropped by as much as 95.7% by some reports (a worrying trend for publishers)!
- AI bots are scraping website content, then using it in their learning models. This can mean less people needing to visit your site.
Here’s one way LINA are going to help:
We’ve partnered with Tollbit; a platform that works with publishers to help ensure fair compensation for their content and data from data scraping. It doesn’t cost you anything, and it’s up to you how far you want to take it.
What Tollbit do:
- Analytics: “Google Analytics for robots” – tracks AI scraping activity on your site.
- Management: Allows publishers to control AI access to their content (ie. choose to block or accept bots as you see fit).
- Monetisation: Enables content licensing directly between publishers and AI developers.
Below is the presentation deck from the Tollbit meeting with LINA members:
If you require assistance, feel free to reach out to LINA’s Technical Manager Adrian O’Hagan.
