Cloudflare has announced the acquisition of artificial intelligence data marketplace Human Native, marking a strategic move to deepen its role in transactions between AI developers and content creators.
The internet infrastructure company said the deal supports its broader ambition to reshape how online content is licensed and monetised in the age of artificial intelligence.
“Content creators deserve full control over their work, whether they want to write for humans or optimize for AI,” Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince said in a statement announcing the acquisition.
While financial terms were not disclosed, Cloudflare confirmed the transaction will accelerate development of tools designed to connect AI firms with reliable, high-quality datasets through structured commercial agreements.
A Cloudflare spokesperson declined to provide additional details on the valuation or timeline for full integration of Human Native’s technology.
Building A Marketplace Between Creators And AI Firms
Human Native, a UK-based startup, specialises in managing data licensing transactions between publishers, creators, and AI developers.
Cloudflare said the acquisition strengthens its ability to offer transparent mechanisms where content owners can decide how their material is accessed, used, and paid for by AI companies.
Prince described the move as foundational to a broader system that ensures creators are compensated whenever their work contributes to training large language models.
“This acquisition is about building the tools needed to protect the longevity of the open internet,” Prince said.
Cloudflare believes such tools are essential as AI models increasingly rely on vast volumes of online content to improve performance.
From Infrastructure To Content Economics
The deal reflects an evolution in Cloudflare’s strategy, expanding beyond cybersecurity and performance infrastructure into content monetisation frameworks.
In August, Prince signalled this shift during an interview, describing creator payments as a potential “fourth act” for the company’s long-term growth.
“As we’re helping content creators make sure that they can get paid and that the business model of the web continues to exist and evolve, I think that’s going to be the fourth act of Cloudflare,” he said.
That vision has already taken shape through product launches aimed at controlling how automated systems interact with websites.
AI Crawl Control And Market Momentum
Last summer, Cloudflare introduced its AI Crawl Control product, allowing website owners to restrict or monetise access by AI crawlers.
These bots collect data at scale across the internet, often without explicit consent, to train advanced machine learning systems.
Cloudflare positions its tools as a way to rebalance power between creators and large AI developers.
The company’s broader AI exposure has also resonated with investors, with Cloudflare shares rising more than 60% over the past year.
Management views the Human Native acquisition as another step toward formalising fair data markets within the AI ecosystem.
