Concern 49 · Working draft · editorial review in progress
Opt-out registries (robots.txt, ai.txt)
AI opt-out signals are notices or technical instructions intended to tell collectors that some material should not be used in a specified way.
Understanding the concern
A robots.txt file provides crawler instructions, but it is not a lock on a website. Other proposed files or registries may have different meanings and levels of support. A signal only helps technically if the relevant collector recognizes and follows it.
These mechanisms also differ from legal rights. A missing signal does not automatically grant every permission, and posting a signal does not guarantee removal from previously trained systems. Publishers need to distinguish future collection, current access, and past reuse.
An example
A no-flyers sign on a door communicates a request but does not physically prevent delivery or retrieve flyers already collected elsewhere.
Illustrative unless identified as a documented case.
Words in plain English
- AI
- Software that learns patterns from examples or uses rules to perform tasks such as recognizing images or generating text. It can make mistakes and does not understand every situation as a person would.
- Training
- The process of using examples to shape how an AI model behaves. Learning patterns from material does not establish that the material is true or fair.
Evidence and its limits
RFC 9309 defines crawler behavior and rejects treating robots rules as authorization; legal effects require separate analysis.
IETF · 2022 · Technical standard
RFC 9309: Robots Exclusion Protocol ↗ (opens in a new tab)Defines crawler directives; robots rules are not an access-control mechanism or a universal statement of permission.
U.S. Copyright Office · May 2025 pre-publication report · Official report collection
Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, Part 3: Generative AI Training ↗ (opens in a new tab)Examines US copyright and training, including licensing. A report is not a final ruling on every training practice or jurisdiction.
Broader frameworks and background
These resources provide context. They do not establish every claim in this concern.
A question to discuss
Which collectors honor this signal, and does it affect future collection, stored copies, or trained models?
Keep track of different views, what needs checking, and any next step in your own discussion notes.
Open discussion notes →Principles for the conversation
Before you finish · reflect together
Virtues and principles to consider
Virtues are qualities we practice in how we treat people and make choices. They are not scores for judging someone. Use these ideas to explore what a thoughtful response could look like.
Truthfulness
Truthfulness means making claims that match the evidence and being clear about what we do not know. It includes correcting mistakes rather than protecting a polished story.
Check sources, label guesses, and distinguish a trial result from a proven benefit. If AI helped produce a claim, someone still needs to take responsibility for checking it.
Ask together: What can we honestly say, and what still needs checking?
Justice
Justice means fair treatment, fair procedures, and attention to who receives benefits and burdens. It asks whether people with less power can be heard and seek repair.
Look at outcomes across different groups and individual cases. Provide a usable way to challenge decisions and correct harm. Equal wording in a policy does not guarantee equal treatment in practice.
Ask together: Who benefits, who bears the cost, and who can challenge the decision?
Stewardship
Stewardship means caring for resources and systems that others depend on, including people who will use them later. It looks beyond the benefit of a quick launch.
Plan for maintenance, energy use, data protection, and eventual shutdown. Ask who will look after the tool when the original team moves on and how future users can avoid inheriting hidden costs.
Ask together: What are we responsible for caring for over time?
Editorial ratings
These are editorial judgments from the register, not measured probabilities or predictions about your situation.
About the register and scoring →More ways to explore
Search for more writing
For more specific or recent material, open a search below or ask for a web summary. AI-generated summaries can contain mistakes; open the original articles to check them.