Cloudflare officials claim that Google is using websites as “blackmail” for data to train artificial intelligence.

Short on the news

Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince accused Google of using its dominant search position to gain an unfair advantage in training neural networks. He emphasized that the company has access to a vast amount of data and forces website owners to share content under threat of losing traffic.

What exactly did Prince say

- Google collects 3.2 times more web data than OpenAI;
- 4.8 times more than Microsoft;
- More than six times more than other search players.

He noted that such a disparity makes the AI market unfair and urged the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate the situation as part of ongoing inquiries.

Why it matters

Web crawlers are automated bots that index sites.

- Microsoft, OpenAI and other companies use different crawlers: separate ones for AI training and separate ones for search results.
- Google uses a single crawler (Googlebot) for both search and data collection for AI.

If a publisher blocks Googlebot to protect content from being used in training, it simultaneously disappears from Google’s search results and loses a significant traffic stream. Prince believes that as long as Google exploits its monopoly this way, a fair AI market is impossible.

Additional steps

Google has already introduced “AI Overview” – an AI answer block at the top of search results that summarizes site content and reduces users’ need to visit original resources.

In response, Microsoft launched a licensing program: content creators will receive direct payments for using their materials in AI training.

Conclusion

Cloudflare claims that Google gains disproportionate advantage through its search dominance, threatening fairness and openness in the artificial intelligence market. The company asks regulators to intervene to ensure more equal conditions for all participants.