# Cloudflare chief warns AI agents could overwhelm websites and raise costs

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/ai-agents-are-a-bane-for-some-website-operators-says-cloudflare/
- Published: 2026-11-06T04:25:14+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T05:47:20+00:00
- Original publisher: The Register
- Original article: https://www.theregister.com/networks/2026/11/06/ai-agents-are-a-bane-for-some-website-operators-says-cloudflare/5308022
- Topics: AI, Business, Companies, Technology

## Key points

- Cloudflare warns AI agents can burden websites without bringing business.
- Prince says security vulnerabilities may have been exploited before disclosure.
- Quarterly revenue reached $782.5 million, up 39 per cent year on year.

## Summary

Cloudflare chief executive Matthew Prince says the PHP2SHELL vulnerability may have been exploited by criminals or state-backed hackers before it was disclosed, and warned that security threats are worsening. He also said some website operators see AI agents as a burden because they can impose costs on sites without generating customers, while arguing that conventional container systems may struggle to handle the expected volume of agent traffic.

Prince cited Cloudflare’s forecast that bot traffic could eventually outnumber human clicks by 1,000 to one. He said about five per cent of the web had opted into the company’s content protection products since 1 July, and named Meta as a customer. Cloudflare reported record quarterly revenue of $782.5 million, up 39 per cent year on year, and its shares rose around 15 per cent in after-hours trading.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.