Patreon stops asking AI bots not to scrape — and starts blocking them
Patreon is strengthening its defenses against AI scraping by working with Cloudflare to block bots that train AI models on creators’ content without permission. The move marks a shift away from relying on websites using robots.txt alone to actively block unauthorized AI training.
Patreon , the membership platform for creators, is cracking down on AI scraping its content for training purposes. On Thursday, the company shared that it’s working with internet infrastructure provider Cloudflare to directly block access to AI bots designed to train their AI models on creators’ work without permission.
The strengthened measures were necessary because AI scraping has become more sophisticated since it first put measures in place to deter AI crawlers in 2023, the company says. In addition, Patreon’s paywall has long locked much of creators’ content out of reach of crawlers. But more recently, the company introduced new discovery tools like a redesigned Home Feed and its tweet-like Quips , which could expose more content to crawlers.
The changes come about as more online publishers and content creators are coming to grips with how AI is ingesting their work for the purpose of making their AI models smarter. To combat this, Cloudflare now offers tools that allow website publishers to restrict AI bots , including a marketplace that lets websites charge AI bots for scraping , dubbed Pay Per Crawl. Earlier this month, it changed its policies so that “mixed-use” crawlers, meaning those that both index and train on a website’s content, are blocked by default on any pages that host ads.
Patreon says that it’s extending its existing work with Cloudflare to use the company’s AI Crawl Control technology to update its AI policies and enforcement tools. The difference here is that instead of simply asking AI crawlers not to scrape content using the robots.txt files — a standard way to provide bots with instructions on how they can use its site — Patreon is now actively blocking AI training bots.
“Consent shouldn’t depend on whether a scraper chooses to behave,” a Patreon blog post explains, referencing the stricter measures.
When testing the features, individual AI training crawlers’ weekly attempts to access Patreon went from “thousands of attempts to zero,” the post noted. That indicates that the AI scrapers were ignoring Patreon’s robots.txt file and scraping the site anyway, despite its requests.
However, the company said that it will allow bots that index pages and organize information that can be used to send users back to Patreon.
“As AI agents become increasingly powerful and popular, creators deserve a meaningful say in how their work is used by AI companies,” remarked Patreon’s product chief Drew Rowny in the announcement. “On most of the Internet, creators have to accept AI training on their work just to reach and grow an audience. Patreon has a different vision: creators should be able to grow their audience and control how their work is used.”
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Key takeaways
- Patreon adopts strict measures to protect creator content from AI scraping.
- Collaboration with Cloudflare may inspire other platforms to implement similar technologies in Brazil.
- The discussion about consent and content usage becomes increasingly urgent as AI advances.
Editorial analysis
Patreon's decision to actively block AI bots scraping creator content marks a significant shift in how digital platforms handle intellectual property protection. In Brazil, where the use of crowdfunding and digital content platforms is on the rise, this action could serve as an example for local companies seeking to protect their creators' work. Protecting against data scraping is not just a copyright issue but also about ensuring creators can fairly monetize their work without having their creations used without consent.
Moreover, collaborating with Cloudflare to implement stricter access control measures may inspire other platforms to adopt similar technologies. The introduction of tools like Pay Per Crawl could be particularly relevant for the Brazilian ecosystem, where many creators still struggle to understand how their works are being used by AI models. This approach could create a new business model where platforms can monetize access to their content while protecting creators' rights.
Patreon's move also reflects a growing awareness of the ethical implications of AI usage. As AI tools become more powerful, the need for a clear dialogue about consent and content usage becomes increasingly urgent. In Brazil, where legislation on copyright and data protection is still developing, this discussion is crucial to ensure creators have a say in decisions affecting their works.
Finally, it is important to observe how this change will impact the relationship between platforms, creators, and technology companies. The pressure for transparency and consent may lead to a new standard of market practices, where platforms need to be more proactive in protecting creators' rights. What we are witnessing now is just the beginning of a larger movement that could redefine the dynamics between digital content and artificial intelligence in Brazil and globally.
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