WeAreDevelopers LIVE – Web Scraping, Agents, Actors and more

With open APIs disappearing, how can developers access the vast amounts of data needed to train specialized AI models?

#1about 3 minutes

Defining the chief operating officer role in a tech startup

The COO at Apify handles all business functions the engineering-focused CEO doesn't, from marketing and sales to overall growth.

#2about 5 minutes

The rise of fake shopping sites and online scams

AI makes it easier to create fake e-commerce sites and phishing scams, requiring consumers to be vigilant about domain spoofing and impulse buys.

#3about 5 minutes

Examining password security and platform reliability

Common weak passwords like 'admin' remain a major vulnerability, while even large platforms like Shopify can fail during peak demand.

#4about 4 minutes

The impact of AI on creative content and search results

AI tools like Suno are generating massive amounts of music and articles, raising copyright concerns and flooding search engines with low-quality content.

#5about 6 minutes

Web performance gaps and AI's struggle with logic

The performance inequality gap highlights how bloated websites fail users on slower connections, while AI models still struggle with complex logical and geometric prompts.

#6about 4 minutes

Using retro computing tools to filter the modern web

New tools like browser-based IDEs for 8-bit computers and retro terminal emulators offer a nostalgic experience, while extensions can filter out AI-generated content.

#7about 10 minutes

How search engines and AI changed web discovery

The web has shifted from a place of active research to one where algorithms feed users opinionated summaries, raising concerns about monetization and user choice.

#8about 10 minutes

The evolution of web scraping for modern applications

Web scraping has evolved from simple HTTP requests to using headless browsers like Playwright to navigate complex sites and bypass anti-bot technologies for data collection.

#9about 6 minutes

Monetizing developer tools on the Apify marketplace

Apify provides a marketplace for developers to build and sell automation tools called "actors," with a $1 million challenge to incentivize new creations.

#10about 6 minutes

Building automation actors using JavaScript and Python

Developers can build actors for the Apify platform using JavaScript or Python with libraries like Crawlee, which are then packaged as Docker containers.

#11about 6 minutes

Supporting a global developer community in the age of AI

Platforms can bridge the gap between global developer talent and market needs, even as AI changes the nature of engineering from hands-on coding to high-level problem-solving.