Publishers may soon get one off switch for AI scraping. OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic pledged the move amid growing criticism and legal battles from news publishers. The approach targets bots that feed articles into AI models.
What Is the New AI Scraping Opt-Out?
Publishers currently write a separate blocking command for every bot that crawls the web. The new proposal replaces that with one standardised instruction. Any AI company that adopts the protocol must recognise and honour it.
When Does the AI Scraping Block Take Effect?
- Microsoft: beginning 1 February 2027
- Google: sometime in 2027
- OpenAI: rolling out “in the coming months”
- Anthropic: has “already started” rolling it out
The solution will not fully take effect for months. Anthropic is the only one of the four that says rollout has begun.
Why Is the New AI Scraping Setting Limited?
The setting applies only to future training of models. It does not stop bots from crawling a site otherwise. Scraping stays allowed by default until a publisher changes the setting, Microsoft said in a blog post.
Opting out could reduce the chances a publisher’s content surfaces in AI apps and experiences, Microsoft and Google said in separate blog posts.
How Far Is the New York Times Copyright Fight?
In December 2023, the New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft. It alleges they used millions of its articles without authorisation or payment to train ChatGPT. The two companies are invoking fair use, an exception to copyright law.
What Tools Do Publishers Already Have?
- Cloudflare has blocked AI bots by default on new customer sites since July 2025.
- The Really Simple Licensing standard lets publishers charge bots that visit their pages.
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone backed the effort on X. “We believe creating a common signal that conveys such preferences to multiple providers at once is an important step,” he wrote.
Does the AI Scraping Pledge Affect Bursa Malaysia Stocks?
The announcement names no Bursa-listed company. None of the four firms trades on Bursa Malaysia. Companies whose revenue depends on publisher content or AI licensing are worth monitoring, but this announcement does not name any of them.
Key Takeaways
- Four AI firms pledged one standardised opt-out for publishers, replacing multiple bot-by-bot blocking commands.
- Microsoft starts on 1 February 2027 and Google sometime in 2027.
- The setting covers only future training and leaves default scraping in place until publishers change it.
- The New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft remains the key legal test of fair use.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not financial advice. Always do your own research before making any investment decision, and consider your own risk profile. Read more on AI Stock Analysis for Malaysians.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the AI scraping opt-out take effect?
Microsoft will implement the standardised instruction beginning 1 February 2027, and Google sometime in 2027. OpenAI said it will roll it out in the coming months, while Anthropic said it has already started.
Does the new setting stop AI bots from crawling my website?
No. The setting applies only to future training of models and does not prevent bots from crawling otherwise. Scraping remains allowed by default until a publisher changes the setting, Microsoft said.
Which AI companies pledged the no-scraping tool?
OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic made the pledge on 31 October. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone also voiced support on X.
Is there a Bursa Malaysia stock linked to this AI scraping pledge?
The announcement names no Bursa-listed company. None of OpenAI, Google, Microsoft or Anthropic is a Bursa Malaysia counter.
Source: View Original Article — The content is based on the original publisher. Refer to the original content for accurate info. Contact us for any changes.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research before making investment decisions.
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