Microsoft adds independent training and grounding preferences for publishers, keeping Bing visibility
JordiRib1 · x · 2026-10-31
Microsoft announced expanded publisher controls for web content used by its crawlers: publishers can now set independent preferences for AI training and grounding instead of choosing between Bing discoverability and generative use. Sites that opt out of training remain eligible for Bing search results.
Key points:
- Builds on Microsoft's 2023 first-mover controls (NoArchive/NoCache tags).
- Grounded in the IETF AI Preferences working group's harmonized robots.txt syntax for expressing training preferences, described in an Internet-Draft, aiming to standardize preferences across platforms.
- Applies to web-grounded responses in Bing, Copilot, and Microsoft 365.
- Microsoft says it is working with publishers and industry players on consistent cross-web controls.
Related event: Microsoft Bing lets publishers block AI training while staying in AI search(3 posts)→
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