Proposed New Framework Will Support Publisher Monetization and Brand Controls in an AI-Driven Consumer Web
New York, NY – June 4, 2025 – The emergence of generative artificial intelligence has raised significant concerns within the publishing community, particularly regarding the growing use of AI agents, large language models (LLMs), and AI-driven search summaries that reduce publisher traffic. The growth of LLMs not only impacts publishers but also adversely affects how brand content is surfaced to consumers, threatening the growth and profitability of the open web and the broader digital media ecosystem. There is a clear need for fair compensation and attribution for publishers’ content, as well as proper representation of brands in AI-driven search results and chat interfaces.
To address this issue, the IAB Tech Lab, the global digital advertising technical standards-setting body, proposes a framework for publisher compensation for the use of their content by LLMs and AI agents through the LLM Content Ingest API Initiative. The framework incorporates mechanisms that enable brands to control how their content is integrated into LLMs and AI agent services. This effort focuses on developing a technical specification to help publishers respond to increased AI scraping and to support a fair value exchange between content owners and LLM developers. It also provides a structured approach for brands to manage how their information is accessed and interpreted by AI systems.
“It is clear that AI agents powered by large language models are shifting how users engage with content,” said Anthony Katsur, Chief Executive Officer, IAB Tech Lab. “While this is a promising new way for people to access information, we have also seen data showing publisher traffic decreases at 15% or higher, and revenue is down. Meanwhile, AI platforms are growing on the back of open web content, impacting publisher revenues and misrepresenting advertisers. This initiative is about giving publishers and brands a path forward that is fair, enforceable, and grounded in technical standards.”
The Tech Lab is initiating the project with an open invitation to publishers, brands, and AI system developers to participate in developing the future of the web economy. Tech Lab will soon organize a workshop to collaboratively explore solutions to the challenges posed by rogue AI content ingestion. The focus is on developing practical and enforceable tools that empower publishers to control how their content is accessed and monetized by AI systems, and to ensure brand information is accurately represented in machine-generated outputs. This includes exploring approaches such as understanding and controlling internet bots, LLM-friendly content discovery and delivery, managing bot access, and content monetization.
“The LLM Content Ingest API is one part of the framework to address the challenges publishers and brands face from the growing use of AI-based tools by consumers,” said Shailley Singh, Executive Vice President, Product and Chief Operating Officer, IAB Tech Lab. “The proposed technical framework is designed to foster better collaboration between LLMs/AI agents and content owners and to lay the foundations for fair value exchange for content, two of the biggest challenges that have emerged since the proliferation of generative AI and endanger the web economy as it works today.”
To learn more about the framework, click here. IAB Tech Lab is inviting publishers, brands, LLM platforms, and AI agent developers to provide feedback on the proposed framework and express interest in joining the workshop by emailing support@iabtechlab.com.
About IAB Technology Laboratory
Established in 2014, the IAB Technology Laboratory (Tech Lab) is a non-profit consortium that engages a member community globally to develop foundational technology and standards that enable growth and trust in the digital media ecosystem. Comprised of digital publishers, ad technology firms, agencies, marketers, and other member companies, IAB Tech Lab focuses on solutions for brand safety and ad fraud; identity, data, and consumer privacy; ad experiences and measurement; and programmatic effectiveness. Its work includes the OpenRTB real-time bidding protocol, ads.txt anti-fraud specification, Open Measurement SDK for viewability and verification, VAST video specification, and Project Rearc initiative for privacy-centric addressability. Board members/companies are listed at https://iabtechlab.com/about-the-iab-tech-lab/tech-lab-leadership/. For more information, please visit https://iabtechlab.com