Controlling AI Access to Website Content with LLMS.txt

As artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in the digital landscape, companies and SEO’s are facing a growing challenge. How to control whether or even how their content is used to train large language models (LLMs).

With AI tools being able to scrape vast amounts of data, traditional defenses such as robots.txt are no longer sufficient.

Enter LLMS.txt; a newly created, machine-readable file that gives website owners a say in how their data is used by AI.

What is LLMS.txt?

LLMS.txt is a text file that allows websites to communicate clear rules with AI models regarding the use of their content.

The file was inspired by robots.txt (which is the long-standing standard for search engine crawlers), LLMS.txt specifically targets AI systems, that are not always covered by search engine rules.

The new standard was introduced by Jeremy Howard of Answer.AI in September 2024, as a response to the fast-growing trend of AI companies scrapping and training using online content without permission. Similar to robots.txt, the file lives at the root of a website (e.g example.co.uk/LLMS.txt) and uses a clear markdown structure to define the website’s expectations regarding AI usage. 

Its design is not only about blocking access, but also about promoting transparency. Websites can now declare which AI models they allow or disallow, and even specify key pages such that give context to the AI developers on the information they may encounter.

With the LLM market expected to grow from $4.5 billion in 2023 to $82.1 billion by 2033, tools like LLMS.txt will likely play a crucial role in balancing progress with content ownership rights.

Why LLMS.txt matters

At its core, LLMS.txt empowers websites to:

• Control content usage – Set clear policies on whether their content can be used for AI training, including blocking certain AI bots
• Prevent unauthorised data scraping – Offer an opt-out mechanism for AI systems
• Support responsible AI development – Help AI engineers identify which websites have consented to their content being used

Additionally LLMS.txt could possibly enable monetisation strategies as the relationship between website owners and AI model trainers becomes more formal. Clear guidelines could help AI better interpret content, reducing the chance of misrepresentation in AI-generated responses.

Who should use LLMS.txt?

The file is useful for a variety of businesses, including

• Publishers – Especially those with high-quality editorial or journalistic content they want to safeguard
• Ecommerce brands – To prevent product data, descriptions, and pricing from being scraped and used without permission
• Companies with high value content- content that needs protection or clear usage terms
• Brands concerned about IP usage – For companies that want to control how their brand, images, or messaging are used by AI systems
• Businesses exploring AI content licensing- Those looking into monetising or licensing their content for responsible use in AI training

LLMS.txt vs ROBOTS.txt

It’s important to note that LLMS.txt is not a replacement for robots.txt, while looking quite similar, they address different problems:

• Robots.txt is for search engine control: it is used to manage how search engines crawl and index pages
• LLMS.txt is for AI models, defining whether content can be used in training

AI systems don’t necessarily follow the same protocols as SEO crawlers, so if you want to prevent your content from being used by AI models, you need to declare it in LLMS.txt.

Advantages

1. Greater control over how content is used by AI: Enabling website owners to specify which content is available to AI models
2. Easy to implement and maintain: Integrating an LLMS.txt file is straightforward, simplifying both implementation and ongoing updates
3. Protects IP and proprietary data: LLMS.txt helps safeguard intellectual property and proprietary information from unauthorised AI access
4. May support content monetisation strategies in the future: LLMS.txt could play a role in monetisation by controlling AI access to premium content
5. Improved Contextual Understanding: The structure of markdown in LLMS.txt preserves relationships between concepts, aiding AI in understanding the context

Disadvantages

1. Adoption is still voluntary : LLMS.txt is not legally binding, so AI companies can choose to ignore it. While some models may comply, others might not follow the directives
2. Can be hard to monitor or enforce: Without statutory powers, issues around enforcement of codes like LLMS.txt effectively make it voluntary
3. Could reduce exposure in AI-generated answers (if opting out): Blocking AI bots using LLMS.txt might prevent your content from appearing in AI-generated search results, potentially reducing visibility
4. Some technical ambiguity in how directives are interpreted: The White Paper did not sufficiently deal with the implications of the increased number of LLMs, leading to challenges in interpreting and applying regulations
5. Possible conflicts with other directives: LLMS.txt directives might conflict with other website directives like robots.txt, leading to confusion and potential misconfigurations
6. Potential for outdated information: If not regularly updated, LLMS.txt files might contain outdated directives, leading to unintended access or restrictions

Measuring LLMS.txt effectiveness

Once LLMS.txt is implemented, it is important to monitor whether it is actually being respected, there a few ways of doing this:

• Analyse server logs to track visits from AI bots
• Monitor referral traffic in GA4
• Staying up to date with the policies of major LLMS providers / users

For example, companies like OpenAi, Anthropic and Perplexity.ai have expressed their intent to support LLMS.txt directives, though adoption still remains voluntary. Google’s Gemini models are considering support, while Microsoft, Meta and Amazon have not yet made their positions public at the time of writing this article.

Final thoughts

LLMS.txt is an important step toward defining content boundaries in the AI era. While this is still an emerging standard, it helps websites regain some control over how their content is used, and signals a shift towards a more ethical and transparent AI development.

As the landscape evolves, adopting practices such as LLMS.txt may help to balance innovation with respect for intellectual property. Websites may be wise to keep an eye on the growing list of AI companies choosing to honour these directives, and look towards the decision of implementing this directive.

If you would like to explore how your business can thrive online in an AI-powered world, or need guidance implementing strategies like LLMS.txt, our SEO experts would love to help; get in touch!