Bots on Ethereum

I have some questions regarding the usage of bots with Ethereum (or any other blockchain network).

1. Are bots able to confirm transactions, either general purpose or with smart contracts? I.e. the process of initiating a transaction and confirming the gas fees?
2. Is there any way to detect/prevent bot usage of a smart contract? I'm thinking of potential use cases that involve minimizing the # of bots trying to initiate transactions.

I believe I know the answers to these questions but my searches for insight on bots in blockchain is proving futile (other than articles regarding automated buying/selling).