Bad bots make up 40% of internet traffic

This Thales 2026 Bad Bot Report excerpt describes a major shift in internet traffic driven by AI agents: automated traffic reached 53% of observed requests in 2025 (40% malicious), AI-driven bots increased 12.5× and use adaptive evasion (fingerprint mutation, timing adjustment), APIs and financial services are primary targets, and organizations are moving toward verification and monetization of AI access to control risk.