Anthropic files IETF draft for a shared robots.txt opt-out from AI training

Kevin Kelley of Anthropic submitted an Internet-Draft (a working document, not a standard) to the IETF on Oct. 30 that defines a robots.txt policy token, __usage_ai-training, letting a website list the paths it does not want used for AI training; the IETF page says the draft is not endorsed by the IETF and has no formal standing in its standards process. Microsoft announced new Bing preferences for AI training the same day, taking effect Feb. 1, 2027, and said they “do not establish licensing or payment arrangements.” The Next Web reported that Google and OpenAI also back the token, with Google targeting 2027 and OpenAI aiming for “the coming months.”