Creative Commons Outlines Principles for Responsible Pay-to-Crawl Systems

Creative Commons has expressed tentative support for emerging "pay-to-crawl" systems that allow websites to receive compensation when AI models access their content, according to a statement on its website. The nonprofit described the approach as a potential way to sustain online content creation while managing how digital materials are used for AI training.

The organization noted that pay-to-crawl systems could help independent websites offset the costs of heavy AI traffic or generate additional revenue. However, it cautioned that such systems might also be exploited by large rightsholders to increase profits or restrict access to information. Creative Commons warned that poorly designed implementations could limit content access for researchers, educators, and other public-interest users.

To guide adoption, Creative Commons proposed several principles for responsible pay-to-crawl design. These include ensuring that pay-to-crawl is not a default setting, enabling differentiated access for various types of machine users, allowing throttling instead of outright blocking, and maintaining public-interest access. The group also urged the use of open, interoperable, and standardized components to avoid proprietary control.

Creative Commons said it will continue engaging with developers and stakeholders to ensure that pay-to-crawl systems align with openness and the commons, and invited feedback on its proposed framework.