Microsoft Bing announces clearer controls over AI training and grounding use

At a glance

Microsoft Bing announced new settings that make it easier for web publishers to choose whether their content is used for AI training and grounding (using web content as the basis for AI answers). Sites that use these settings can still appear in Bing search results.

Key points

1. 1

   AI training choices use a shared syntax under discussion at the IETF (an internet standards body), go in robots.txt (a guide file for search robots), and can also be set page by page.

2. 2

   AI grounding is set per page, and the new DisallowExtended option limits use to Microsoft's own services such as Copilot, leaving out services offered to outside companies.

3. 3

   Without a grounding setting, a page's content can be used in AI answers.

4. 4

   The new settings replace the older NoArchive and NoCache, and Microsoft will start honoring them on February 1, 2027.

Why it matters

Website owners can decide how far their content feeds AI training and AI answers without giving up visibility in search.