From Search to Answers: Paying Creators in the AI Era

Read Articleadded Sep 22, 2025
From Search to Answers: Paying Creators in the AI Era

Cloudflare argues the Internet’s business model must evolve as answer engines replace search and stop sending traffic that funds content creation. They propose compensating creators based on how their work fills gaps in AI models, funded by AI subscription and ad revenues. Cloudflare will help enable this market with open standards, tools to control AI access, and partnerships so all who benefit contribute back.

Key Points

  • The Internet is shifting from search engines that drive traffic to answer engines that deliver direct responses, undermining traffic-based monetization for content creators.
  • Agents don’t click ads or respect paywalls in the same way, posing an existential threat to media, research, and analysis without new rules and compensation.
  • A healthier model pays creators for unique, local, and original content that fills gaps in AI knowledge, not for ragebait or duplicative coverage.
  • Cloudflare proposes revenue pools funded by AI subscriptions/ads, distributed based on measurable contributions to model coverage (the ‘Swiss cheese’ gaps).
  • Cloudflare’s role is to provide open, standardized tools and partnerships that let creators control access and ensure all AI beneficiaries contribute fairly.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment of the Hacker News discussion is predominantly negative and cynical. While there's some acknowledgment of the problem Cloudflare aims to solve (AI scraping without compensation), the community largely views Cloudflare's proposed solution with deep suspicion, seeing it as a move to centralize power, implement 'rent-seeking,' and ultimately harm the open internet. The discussion reflects strong anti-monopoly and pro-open-internet sentiments, with many criticizing Cloudflare's motives and the practical feasibility of their vision.

In Agreement

  • There is a legitimate problem with AI companies freely scraping content without compensating creators, and a new business model is needed to address this unfairness.
  • A system that allows content creators to receive residual payments from AI scrapers could incentivize the creation of more unique, original, and valuable content, potentially shifting focus away from 'ragebait' and 'SEO spam'.
  • Cloudflare is actively pushing standards and highlighting the issue of bots scraping web pages for free, and its bot Management functionality could be part of a solution to control AI access.
  • The concept of charging AI crawlers for access or allowing site owners to control LLM access is a valid approach to monetize content. Cloudflare is 'skating to where the puck is going' by addressing an inevitable shift in internet monetization.
  • Cloudflare's support for efforts like the Ladybird browser (even if with ulterior motives) can be seen as a positive step towards breaking browser duopolies and ironing out web standards.

Opposed

  • Cloudflare's proposal is a self-serving attempt to establish itself as a central 'gatekeeper' or 'payment processor' for the internet, leveraging its already significant market share to create a monopoly akin to Apple's App Store or Google's search dominance.
  • The proposed model will lead to 'rent-seeking' where Cloudflare takes a large cut, leaving little compensation for actual content creators, potentially turning them into 'unpaid independent contractors' or having their work devalued for pennies.
  • The idea that AI companies will willingly 'step up' and pay for content fairly is naive; many doubt AI companies will pay enough or that Cloudflare can reliably enforce payments without harming legitimate users or leading to more insidious, embedded advertising.
  • The 'filling holes in the cheese' concept risks homogenizing content and incentivizing AI-guided creation over genuine originality, exploration of 'unknown unknowns,' or quality research, leading to further 'enshittification' of the internet.
  • The article's claim that 'the Internet has never been free' is a historical revisionism, as much content was created and shared freely for enjoyment before commercialization, and this model contradicts the spirit of the open internet.
  • The article lacks concrete, detailed plans on how this complex business model would be implemented or how the transition from the current system would occur, making the proposal vague and unconvincing.
  • Micropayments for content have historically failed because customers typically prefer subscriptions or free (ad-supported) models, suggesting this proposed system is unlikely to gain consumer adoption.
  • Cloudflare's existing market power is already a concern, and this proposal further concentrates control, raising fears of censorship or undue influence from governments.
From Search to Answers: Paying Creators in the AI Era