Cloudflare CEO warns AI will make it very hard to be a content creator, says people might not see their work
The way people use the internet is changing, and it could spell trouble for content creators, according to Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince. Speaking to CNBC, Prince warned that as more users turn to AI for quick answers, fewer people are visiting the original websites where that information comes from. This shift could have serious financial consequences for creators who rely on advertising and subscriptions.advertisement'I think that the economy is for sure changing,' Prince said. 'What's changing is not that fewer people are searching the internet. It's that more and more of the answers to Google are being answered right on Google's page.'AI tools and search engines are increasingly offering direct answers without linking back to the source. That means readers are less likely to click through to articles, videos, or posts, cutting creators off from revenue. 'If you're making money through subscriptions, through advertising, any of the things that content creators are doing today, visitors aren't going to be seeing those ads,' Prince said. 'That means it's gonna be much, much harder for you to be a content creator.'
To protect their work, Prince suggested creators take steps to stop AI bots from accessing their content for free. He believes tech platforms and content producers need to work together to create fair systems.advertisement'The fuel that runs these AI engines is original content. So that content has to get created in order for these AI engines to work,' he explained. 'What content creators have to do is restrict access to content, create that scarcity, and say, 'you're not going to get my content unless you're actually paying me for creating that content.''Despite the warning, Prince sees opportunities too, especially for creators producing strong, original work. 'Original content that is actually highly valuable is, I think, going to be more valuable in this future,' he said.His comments come amid growing debate around how AI systems are trained and how they use content from across the web. Several publishers have already blocked AI crawlers from accessing their sites, while others are negotiating licensing deals with AI companies.Prince also said AI could be a helpful tool in workplaces if used the right way. In a separate interview with Business Insider, he explained that Cloudflare is using AI to support employees—not to replace them.'AI has helped us not replace people, but help make people better,' he said, describing AI as giving workers 'superpowers' to do their jobs more effectively.As AI becomes more embedded in how people search and consume information, Prince's message is clear: creators must adapt quickly. If they don't take steps to protect and monetise their work, they risk being left behind in a fast-changing digital economy.
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