Image: The VergeOpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic back one robots.txt token for AI training
A single policy token in robots.txt now expresses whether your content may be used to train generative models. Microsoft splits training from grounding and sets a March 2027 migration deadline for older directives.
OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic have committed to honour one shared robots.txt control that tells them whether a site's content may be used to train generative models. OpenAI and Google published their positions on 30 October 2026, Microsoft added wider controls that separate training from grounding, and The Verge reports the four-party commitment.
Original: The VergeAI content policy has moved from a patchwork of per-vendor meta tags to one declarative robots.txt token that four labs will honour. The trap is that a wildcard-only file expresses nothing, and Microsoft's March 2027 deadline is the date to diary.
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