More than ever, bots are putting their metal to the pedal in driving internet traffic.

Answer: 49.6% 

Questions:

• What are internet bots and how do they differ from human users?
• What are some examples of positive and negative ways bots are used on the internet?
• Do you think there should be stricter guidelines or regulations put in place to monitor and control bot activity on the internet? Why or why not?

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (Imperva):

"Bad bot traffic levels rose for the fifth consecutive year, indicating an alarming trend. This increase is partly driven by the increasing popularity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Learning Models (LLMs). In 2023, bad bots accounted for 32% of all internet traffic – a 1.8% increase from 2022. The portion of good bot traffic also increased, albeit slightly less significantly, from 17.3% of all intent traffic in 2022 to 17.6% in 2023. Combined, 49.6% of all internet traffic in 2023 wasn’t human, as human traffic levels decreased to 50.4% of all traffic."

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Keep your eyes peeled! PLAY: Spot the Scam Signs will have your students on the lookout for scammers.

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NGPF's Consumer Skills unit will have your students ready to battle these pesky bots.

About the Author

Dave Martin

Dave joins NGPF with 15 years of teaching experience in math and computer science. After joining the New York City Teaching Fellows program and earning a Master's degree in Education from Pace University, his teaching career has taken him to New York, New Jersey and a summer in the north of Ghana. Dave firmly believes that financial literacy is vital to creating well-rounded students that are prepared for a complex and highly competitive world. During what free time two young daughters will allow, Dave enjoys video games, Dungeons & Dragons, cooking, gardening, and taking naps.

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