AI and bots have officially taken over the internet, report finds

Recent findings reveal a dramatic shift in internet traffic dynamics, with automated bots now surpassing human users. According to the latest State of AI Traffic report by Human Security, a cybersecurity firm, automated traffic surged at an astonishing rate, growing almost eight times faster than that of human activity in 2025. Stu Solomon, CEO of Human Security, emphasized the profound changes in internet usage, stating, "The internet as a whole was created with this very basic notion that there's a human being on the other side of the computer screen, and that notion is very rapidly being replaced." As users increasingly turn to AI chatbots for everyday inquiries, the report highlights a remarkable 187% increase in AI-driven traffic from January to December 2025, fueled by advancements in large language models such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. Solomon remarked, "Machine-based traffic is effectively replacing humans as the dominant form of traffic on the other side of the internet." The report's insights were derived from the Human Defense Platform, which processed over one quadrillion interactions across its client base. However, accurately quantifying automated activity remains a challenge, as there is no comprehensive database of all interactions online. Filippo Menczer, a professor at Indiana University, noted the difficulties in estimating bot traffic, explaining that it relies on user-agent strings, which may not always provide reliable data. These strings are self-reported identifiers from web crawlers, and Human Security acknowledges that the growing concern over the accuracy of self-identification raises questions about the validity of their findings. The report also highlights the rise of agentic activity, where AI agents autonomously perform tasks for users. Although agentic traffic was minimal in 2024, it escalated by nearly 8,000% in 2025. This automated traffic encompasses various functions, including Google’s AI Overview and autofill features, and isn’t necessarily detrimental. "The notion of machine bad, human good just is not realistic," Solomon stated, advocating for the need to establish ongoing trust in machines acting on our behalf. While the Human Security report does not claim to be exhaustive, it marks a pivotal reference point in the evolving landscape of internet traffic during the age of AI. At the recent SXSW conference, Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince suggested that prior to the generative AI boom, around 20% of internet traffic was attributed to bots, primarily driven by Google's web crawler. He anticipates that by 2027, AI bots will outstrip human traffic, driven by the rapid expansion of generative AI and its voracious appetite for data.