Content should not be scraped by AI without permission because it disregards the creator's rights and effort. Writers, developers, and designers put time, skill, and resources into producing original work. When AI systems harvest that work without consent, they bypass the ethical standard of respecting intellectual property. Just because content is accessible on the web doesn't mean it's free to use in any way someone sees fit, especially not for training large-scale AI models or populating third-party platforms.
Unauthorized scraping also creates a situation where the original source gets no credit or benefit from their work being reused. AI platforms might summarize, reword, or repackage scraped content without linking back or acknowledging where it came from. That strips away traffic, reduces potential revenue, and undermines the value of producing quality content. In some cases, the scraped version ends up outranking the original in search results, which adds insult to injury.
There's also a real concern about how scraped content is used once it's been ingested. AI systems can spread misinformation by reusing outdated or incorrect information, especially when the context of the original is lost. Worse yet, these tools might repeat or amplify copyrighted content without permission. That puts both the AI providers and content creators in murky legal territory. Without clear boundaries, the web starts to feel less like a place for creation and more like a resource mine for machines.
Respecting permission isn't just about legality. It's about preserving trust. When creators know their work won't be taken and repurposed without notice, they're more likely to continue sharing knowledge and building useful things online. But if scraping without consent becomes the norm, creators may start locking down content, limiting access, or stopping altogether. That hurts everyone in the long run.