Websites Fight Back Against AI

Website owners are gaining more control over how AI companies utilise their data. New measures will make it simpler to block AI crawlers from firms like OpenAI and Google that collect data to train their models without authorisation or payment. By implementing these blocks, publishers can prevent their content from being used to train large language models without their consent. This move addresses concerns about intellectual property and revenue loss, giving website owners greater power to protect their content and negotiate terms for its use in AI development. These measures involve updating the robots.txt file, a standard method for indicating which crawlers are permitted to access a site. Major publishers have already adopted this approach, signalling a shift towards protecting content from unauthorised AI usage. This collective action strengthens the position of content creators in discussions with AI companies, ensuring they have a say in how their work is used and compensated.