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Detecting AI agent use and abuse
The key question is: Can you detect AI agent traffic on your application today? We tested multiple AI agent toolkits across high-traffic consumer sites, and the results were clear—legacy detection techniques (CAPTCHAs, IP blocking, user-agent filtering) are largely ineffective. Here’s what we found.
In some scenarios, apps might encourage agent use if it improves usability and adoption, but in other cases, it could present unacceptable risks for application developers or be used as a method for malicious attacks (e.g. credential stuffing or fake account creation). We tested multiple AI agent toolkits across high-traffic consumer sites, and the results were clear—legacy detection techniques (CAPTCHAs, IP blocking, user-agent filtering) are largely ineffective. OpenAI OperatorAnthropic Computer Use APIBrowserBase Open OperatorYoutubeYoutubeRedditRedditLinkedInLinkedInTwitter/XTwitter/XFacebook.comFacebook.comOpenTableOpenTablePinterestPinterestNikeNike Few websites are blocking popular AI Agents today – indicating either a lack of detection, ambivalence towards enforcement, or both.
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