Agents · 2026-10-19

Making the Internet Easier for AI Agents Could Hurt Everyone Else

Until recently, the internet had only two types of visitors: bots and people. But AI agents that carry out tasks on their own are breaking this simple picture and forcing websites to revisit their rules.

Agents

From bots and people to something new

Not long ago, internet users could be divided into two groups: people and bots. Bots have been working online for a long time: they carry out automated tasks, such as collecting page content. Websites usually knew what to expect from them and had their own rules for handling them.

Why AI agents are changing the rules of the game

Modern AI agents can carry out tasks on their own instead of a person: searching for information, moving between pages, filling out forms. To make it easier for such agents to work, websites may change their structure and access rules, adapting them specifically for these agents.

Will it be better for everyone

The key question raised by an MIT Technology Review article is whether this change could make the experience worse for everyone else. Adapting the internet to automated assistants may have consequences for ordinary people who use the same websites. That is why it is worth following closely how this topic develops.

Sources: 🔗 MIT Technology Review — AI