WTF are gray bots?
Briefly

Gray bots, a new category of automated programs, are significantly impacting the web by driving millions of requests, largely connected to generative AI. Despite their role in innovation for AI search and automated activities, they pose challenges to digital infrastructures and website analytics. Increases in gray bot activity have prompted legal concerns, as seen in a recent lawsuit from Ziff Davis against OpenAI, alleging intensified scraping of their content. This paradox of gray bots stresses the need for publishers and advertisers to adapt to a landscape increasingly dominated by non-human traffic.
Gray bots are emerging as a significant challenge for the digital economy, affecting analytics and driving innovation, while also causing serious resource consumption concerns.
The rise of gray bots is set to fundamentally alter how the digital landscape is navigated by publishers, advertisers, and e-commerce businesses.
Read at Digiday
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