When "Open to All" Threatens Sustainability: AI, Bots, and the Future of Open Repositories

Artificial Intelligence presents both unprecedented opportunities and unexpected challenges for open repositories. This panel brings together voices from across the InvenioRDM community - service providers, institutional implementers, and large-scale research infrastructure - to explore how AI is reshaping repository sustainability. AI offers genuine enhancements: intelligent submission workflows, automated curation assistance, and improved discoverability. Yet aggressive AI scraping behavior threatens the infrastructure enabling openness. At the recent CNI meeting, bot management emerged as a critical institutional concern. Repositories face scraper waves consuming resources at denial-of-service scales, preventing legitimate user access. Caltech has experienced similar challenges across InvenioRDM and EPrints platforms. Beyond infrastructure, there's a human cost: curators battling AI-generated spam submissions, predatory content, and relentless bot traffic. CERN's recent analysis reveals the toll on repository staff. This panel presents concrete institutional experiences, examines mitigation strategies and trade-offs, and facilitates discussion about collective responses. How do we embrace AI's benefits while managing its challenges? When does "Open to All" become unsustainable? Attendees will gain practical insights, real-world data, and join a crucial conversation about open repositories' future in an AI-saturated landscape.