#USA #Cambridge #Cybersecurity #Akamai Technologies #AI Bots

Akamai Reports on Surging AI Bot Threats

In its annual State of the Internet (SOTI) report issued on November 4, 2025, Akamai Technologies sheds light on the alarming 300% increase in AI bot traffic that has intensified the existing digital threats facing online businesses. These bots are not just a nuisance; they are fundamentally threatening the very architecture of web-based business models across various industries.

The Rise of AI Bots

The Digital Fraud and Abuse Report 2025 reveals that AI-driven bots now account for a burgeoning segment of online traffic, generating billions of requests. As a result, companies are experiencing distorted digital analytics and operations, significantly impacting their performance and revenue models. Currently, nearly 1% of total bot traffic on Akamai's platform is attributed to these AI bots, highlighting their growing influence in the digital space.

In essence, this spike in bot activity primarily originates from widespread content scraping. Automated bots are extracting valuable content without offering anything in return, which is particularly damaging for businesses reliant on advertising revenues and accurate analytics. These tactics have turned the tables for many publishers and content-focused enterprises, who are now grappling with declining ad revenues and corrupted performance metrics.

Targeted Industries

Among the various sectors impacted, the publishing industry stands out as uniquely vulnerable, bearing the brunt of bot activity with approximately 63% of AI-triggered actions targeting their platforms. The report also outlines how online businesses are feeling the pressures from both helpful bots—those that contribute positively to functions like search indexing—and malicious bots, such as FraudGPT and ad fraud bots, which inflate costs, diminish site performance, and distort critical data.

Notably, the commerce sector has seen an astonishing rate of bot interactions, with over 25 billion bot requests documented during a two-month observation period. The healthcare sector is also under siege, with Identity theft and data scraping lurking in the shadows; over 90% of AI bot activity is attributed to content scraping by search and training bots, further intensifying the existing risks in this sensitive domain.

Defensive Measures

To mitigate these threats, Akamai's report emphasizes the importance of organizations developing strategies rooted in the OWASP Top 10 web application security frameworks. Such frameworks facilitate the mapping of known vulnerabilities—including broken access controls and injection flaws—while aligning them with the organization’s risk tolerance towards fraud. This informed approach allows security teams to prioritize their defenses more intelligently, ensuring that their resources are allocated effectively.

Among the additional topics explored in the report are:

• - Detailed insights on how bots manage to circumvent detection mechanisms.
• - A guest article by the Chief Information Security Officer of FS-ISAC, addressing cybersecurity issues in the financial system.
• - Regional and industry-specific data representing attack patterns.
• - An introductory guide on different categories of AI scraper bots.
• - Recommendations for maintaining regulatory compliance while advancing AI security strategies.

A Business Imperative

As Rupesh Chokshi, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Application Security at Akamai, pointed out, the surge of AI bots has shifted focus from merely being a security concern to a pressing business issue that must be addressed at the boardroom level. It is crucial for business leaders to act immediately, establishing frameworks that facilitate secure AI adoption, managing evolving risks, and protecting their digital operations to avoid falling behind.

Now in its 11th iteration, Akamai's SOTI report remains a key resource, offering vital insights into trends surrounding cybersecurity and web performance drawn from Akamai's extensive infrastructure, which manages over one-third of the world's web traffic.

In a world increasingly influenced by AI, understanding the implications of bot traffic has never been more critical for online businesses aiming to secure their future.