Artificial intelligence. Beyond being an unavoidable buzzword, AI is disrupting the internet as we know it. So, what does this shift mean for our digital landscape?

Tech giant and household name Cloudflare is led by CEO Matthew Prince. Prince, as you may imagine, has his finger on the pulse of where things are heading. 

Prince believes that the traditional web dynamic, defined by constants like Google search engines, is fundamentally breaking down. If this continues to its inevitable conclusion, the entire ecosystem of content creation could be in jeopardy.

At CircleClick, where digital strategy and SEO go hand-in-hand, we’re invested in unpacking which questions this disruption brings up for content creators, businesses, and the future of search.

Will Search Still Equal Value?

In a recent interview with the Council on Foreign Relations, Prince laid it out plainly: 

“AI is going to fundamentally change the business model of the web.” 

For the past 15 years, Google’s search engine has been the great equalizer; driving traffic, building audiences, and powering ad-based monetization models. For every two pages a site allowed Google to index, Google would send back one visitor. More predictable than perfect, this model has largely kept websites, blogs, and online businesses afloat.

How is Google’s Ratio Changing?

That formula has collapsed.

Today, six pages are scraped for every one visitor sent. And the culprit? The rise of zero-click searches. As Prince explained, 

“75% of the queries that get put into Google get answered without you leaving Google.”

Because users are getting what they need right in the SERPs, they’re just not clicking through to the original publisher. This is devastating for SEO-driven businesses and content creators alike.

The AI Acceleration: Content in, Value Out?

While Google’s scrape-to-visitor ratio has dropped dramatically, AI models are pushing it to near-zero returns for content creators.

According to Prince:

• OpenAI’s scrape-to-visitor ratio is estimated at 250:1 
• Anthropic’s ratio is a staggering 6,000:1 

AI models are ingesting massive volumes of web content—without returning traffic, credit, or value to the source. This undermines the incentive to produce content at all. Prince states,

“More and more, the answers to the questions that you ask won’t lead you to the original source; it will be some derivative of that source.” 

How Can The Industry Adapt & Influence?

If content no longer drives traffic, and traffic no longer drives business, then the foundation of the web is under threat. As a digital agency, we’re already seeing this trend affect organic reach, click-through rates, and overall SEO ROI.

Even those leading AI innovation, like Sam Altman at OpenAI, recognize this. But unless content compensation is the norm instead of the exception), content creators aren’t left with much opportunity.

Cloudflare isn’t just sounding the alarm, though. They’re actively seeking solutions. Serving 80% of AI companies and 20–30% of the entire web, their company sits at the intersection of content and computing.

This gives Cloudflare a rare position to influence how AI interacts with digital content. While no clear solution exists yet, Prince hinted at a need for a restructured business model—one where value is fairly distributed across the web.

AI Boom or Bubble? 

Prince’s skepticism of the current AI frenzy doesn’t mean he doesn’t believe in the long-term power of it.

“I would guess that 99 percent of the money that people are spending on these projects today is just getting lit on fire.”

In other words, this may be the Web3 of the 2020s—full of promise, but short on sustainable models. The few projects that survive could change everything—but most won’t.

What Are the Key Takeaways?

📊 The Stats You Need to Know:

• Zero-Click Searches: 75% of Google searches result in no click through to the original site 
• Google Scrape-to-Visitor Ratio Before: 2:1 
• Google Scrape-to-Visitor Ratio Now: 6:1 
• OpenAI’s Ratio: 250:1 
• Anthropic’s Ratio: 6,000:1 
• Cloudflare’s AI Reach: Serves 80% of AI companies 
• Cloudflare’s Web Reach: Powers 20–30% of all websites 
• AI Investment Outlook: 99% of current AI investments are likely wasteful 

What’s Next? A Call to Action

The future of content and SEO will depend on how platforms, publishers, and AI companies adapt. At CircleClick, we believe in proactive evolution. This means:

• Rethinking SEO strategies in a zero-click environment 
• Exploring content partnerships and syndication models 
• Monitoring AI scraping behavior and its impact on web visibility 
• Advocating for fair content compensation from AI firms 

Want to talk with us about how to prepare your digital strategy for the AI-driven future of search? Let’s chat.

Watch the full interview with Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince. It covers Cloudflare’s origins, cybersecurity, AI, quantum computing, and more.

Written by the CircleClick team, experts in performance-based marketing and SEO strategy.