Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince Is Pushing UK Regulator to Unbundle Google’s Search and AI Crawlers
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince is pushing UK regulator to unbundle Google’s search and AI crawlers, arguing that the tech giant’s dual use of its crawlers gives it an unfair edge in the AI race. Prince’s stance marks one of the most vocal challenges yet from a major web infrastructure provider calling for transparency and fair competition in AI and search operations.
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After launching a marketplace earlier this year that lets websites charge AI bots for scraping their content, Cloudflare is now taking its campaign to the policy level. Prince revealed he’s meeting with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to advocate for stronger regulations around Google’s AI practices.
CMA’s Crackdown on Google’s Market Power
Earlier this month, the CMA granted Google a “strategic status” in the search and advertising markets due to its “substantial and entrenched” dominance. This classification allows the regulator to impose stricter oversight — not just over ads and search, but also across AI-related features such as Google’s AI Overviews, AI Mode, and content surfacing systems like Discover, Top Stories, and News Tab.
Prince sees this as a critical opportunity to ensure that no single player — even Google — dictates how online content is accessed, indexed, or monetized.
Why Cloudflare Is Taking a Stand
According to Prince, Cloudflare’s neutral position in the AI ecosystem makes it uniquely qualified to speak on behalf of both publishers and AI developers.
“We don’t have a dog directly in the fight. We’re not an AI company,” Prince said during the Bloomberg Tech Conference in London. “We’re not a media publisher, but we’re this network that sits between them — 80% of AI companies are our customers.”
This middle-ground position gives Cloudflare valuable insight into how AI models interact with websites — and how the balance of power could shift if major platforms like Google continue to leverage their existing infrastructure unfairly.
Google’s Dual Crawler Strategy: The Core Issue
Prince’s main criticism centers on Google’s use of its Googlebot crawler — which serves both traditional Search and AI products like AI Overviews. He argues that Google’s integration of these systems allows it to scrape and use content for AI development without the same checks or costs other AI companies face.
“Google is saying, ‘We have an absolute God-given right to all of the content in the world, even if we don’t pay for it,’” Prince said, pointing out how this approach threatens a fair digital economy.
Google maintains that it offers publishers control through Google Extended, which lets site owners opt out of having their content used for AI training without affecting their search ranking. Yet, many media organizations argue this opt-out doesn’t go far enough — they want full control over whether their content appears in AI-driven experiences at all.
The Bigger Picture: AI Scraping, Fair Use, and Digital Power
Cloudflare’s push adds momentum to a broader debate about AI data scraping and fair content use. As AI models increasingly rely on vast online datasets, the question of consent, compensation, and competition has become a global issue.
Prince’s advocacy could encourage regulators to treat AI crawlers separately from search crawlers — essentially unbundling Google’s AI and Search operations. That would force Google to compete on equal terms with startups and other tech firms building AI models, rather than leveraging its dominance in search.
Why This Matters for Publishers and Developers
If the CMA takes Cloudflare’s suggestion seriously, publishers might gain more autonomy over how their data is used by AI systems. Developers, on the other hand, could see a fairer landscape where access to training data isn’t monopolized by one search giant.
This move could also pressure Google to introduce clearer labeling for its crawlers, more transparent data policies, and compensation models for content creators — similar to Cloudflare’s new AI scraping marketplace.
Cloudflare’s Vision for AI Fairness
Cloudflare’s campaign isn’t just about competition — it’s about rebuilding trust between content creators, AI developers, and internet infrastructure providers. Prince believes that if AI is to become a sustainable part of the web, it needs clear boundaries and mutual respect between platforms and publishers.
“Our goal is to make the web stronger, safer, and fairer,” he noted, reinforcing Cloudflare’s long-standing position as a defender of open internet standards.
The Path Ahead for AI Regulation in the UK
The CMA’s response to Prince’s proposal could shape how future AI and search ecosystems are governed globally. The UK has already positioned itself as a leading regulator in digital competition, setting precedents that often influence EU and US policy.
Should the CMA decide to explore Cloudflare’s request to unbundle Google’s search and AI crawlers, it would mark a pivotal step toward redefining how AI companies operate — potentially inspiring similar actions from other regulators worldwide.
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince’s campaign to push UK regulator to unbundle Google’s search and AI crawlers reflects growing industry frustration with Big Tech’s unchecked AI expansion. As AI transforms how information is created and consumed, this debate could determine whether the web remains open — or becomes an AI-powered monopoly.
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