Cloudflare Acquires Human Native to Expand AI Content Access

Connectivity cloud provider Cloudflare has acquired Human Native, an AI data marketplace, in a move aimed at expanding how content is sourced and prepared for use by AI companies. The deal is expected to strengthen Cloudflare’s content-related services for developers building and deploying AI systems.

Human Native connects content creators and publishers with AI developers who need reliable data for training and inference. Through the acquisition, Cloudflare plans to make it easier for developers to discover and access structured content, while also allowing creators to decide how their work is used and whether it should be monetised.

The growing demand for high-quality data has placed content owners at a crossroads. Many are weighing whether to block AI systems from accessing their material, adapt content specifically for AI use, or make it available for purchase under clear terms. Cloudflare said the addition of Human Native’s technology and expertise will help support all three approaches by giving creators more technical and commercial control.

“Content creators deserve full control over their work, whether they want to write for humans or optimize for AI” said Matthew Prince, Co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. He added that the company’s focus is on building tools that allow content to be discovered, priced and exchanged through transparent channels.

Founded in 2024, Human Native was set up to address concerns around fairness and transparency in the relationship between AI companies and content providers. Its team includes professionals with backgrounds at organisations such as DeepMind, Google, Figma and Bloomberg. Cloudflare believes this experience will help it develop systems that prepare content in formats suitable for AI while keeping ownership and pricing decisions with creators.

The acquisition also aligns with Cloudflare’s earlier efforts to give publishers more control over automated access to their websites. Over the past year, the company introduced tools that allow site owners to manage which bots can interact with their content.

Cloudflare operates a global connectivity cloud platform that supports security, performance and reliability for internet applications.