Cloudflare's 2025 trends session revealed steady global Internet traffic growth of just under 20%, with usage patterns favoring giants like Google and Facebook. A new generative AI category emerged, led by OpenAI/ChatGPT, though it still trails traditional platforms in overall volume.

The report flags a sharp rise in DDoS attacks, peaking at 31 terabits per second. It also notes that post-quantum encryption adoption jumped after Apple enabled it by default, pushing protected traffic above 60%. Meanwhile, AI crawlers like Googlebot and OpenAI's distinct bots are now a visible web traffic share.

Looking ahead, Cloudflare anticipates larger botnets from insecure IoT devices, broader post-quantum readiness in sensitive sectors, and a shift in how bots are assessed—moving from blanket blocking to evaluating purpose and impact in a machine-to-machine internet.