Search engines have changed a lot in the past couple of years. And honestly, I don’t think it’s been for the better. What used to be a simple way to find helpful websites has turned into a space filled with AI-generated summaries and less visibility for real content creators like me. Crawling and indexing used to feel like a fair deal: I provide useful information, and search engines bring traffic. But now, I feel like I’m just feeding data to AI tools that don’t give anything back.
Search Is No Longer What It Used to Be
AI integration in search engines is already showing major effects. Since the introduction of Google’s AI Overview, many websites have reported a noticeable drop in organic traffic. In some sectors, the decline is around 10-15%, while in others it can reach 25-30%. The situation is similar with Microsoft’s Bing, which introduced a comparable feature called Bing AI Answers. Although Bing’s market share is smaller, its impact in affected niches is still significant.
When I search for something today, I often see AI summaries at the top, not actual articles. These summaries pull from all over the web – including my own content – without linking back or giving credit. The value of traditional SEO is shrinking, and AI models are taking over. This shift makes me wonder: should I stop AI robots from crawling my site? Should I protect my content from being reused without context?
What Blocking AI Robots Means
If I block AI robots, I can stop some of them from crawling and indexing my content. It’s like telling them, “You’re not welcome here”. And it can be done easily with a simple robots.txt file.
Here’s an example:
User-agent: anthropic-ai
User-agent: CCBot
User-agent: ChatGPT-User
User-agent: ClaudeBot
User-agent: cohere-ai
User-agent: Google-Extended
User-agent: GPTBot
User-agent: meta-externalagent
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
User-agent: PerplexityBot
Disallow: /This file stops some of the most well-known AI crawlers from accessing the site. It feels like a small step toward taking control of my own work.
However, it’s important to know that not all bots follow these rules. Some robots ignore robots.txt entirely. If a crawler doesn’t respect these directives, a simple block won’t stop it. That’s a big limitation when it comes to protecting content from unauthorized indexing or reuse.
More Than Just Robots.txt
To go a step further, many content delivery networks (CDNs) offer advanced bot management tools. For example, Cloudflare allows users to block or challenge traffic from known AI crawlers. These tools go beyond robots.txt and actually control what traffic reaches your server. That means even bots that ignore robots.txt can be stopped at the network level. This kind of control adds a stronger layer of protection.
But Will It Help?
I’ve thought about this a lot. While blocking these bots might feel like the right move, it has downsides. For one, some AI-driven platforms might actually bring visitors to my site. Cutting them off means I could be losing traffic that I don’t even know about. Plus, blocking AI doesn’t stop scraping completely. There will always be tools that find ways around these rules.
Also, not all AI is bad. Some tools use crawling and indexing for discovery, and they may help users find my work in new ways. If I block everything, I may lose future opportunities. I also risk falling behind while others adapt and take advantage of AI traffic in smarter ways.
The Balance Between Protection and Growth
I want to protect my content, but I also want people to find it. It’s a hard balance. Total blocking is not the answer. I believe there’s a smarter path – one where I stay visible, stay competitive, and still keep an eye on how my work is used.
Instead of cutting off access completely, I try to stay informed. I keep an eye on how my content is being indexed, which AI bots are crawling my site, and what traffic sources are growing. This helps me make better decisions without acting out of fear.
Why I Choose Not to Block AI Robots
After looking at all sides, I’ve decided not to block AI robots from crawling my content. Yes, there are risks. Yes, my content might be reused. But I believe the benefits still outweigh the problems. Crawling and indexing by AI tools are becoming part of the digital world, and fighting it too hard might just leave me behind.
I would rather focus on creating high-quality content that stands out – even if it’s used by AI models. The goal is still the same: reach real people and provide value. If AI helps me do that, then I’m okay with it.
Looking Ahead with Caution
AI is changing how search engines work. It’s not perfect, and I have my concerns. But blocking AI robots completely won’t fix the problem. It could even make things worse by reducing my visibility. So for now, I choose to stay open. I’ll keep watching, learning, and adapting – because that’s the only way to grow in this new digital space. And although chances are getting smaller, I still hold out hope for positive changes in how search engines treat original content.