The study found that 57% of legacy print publications, 48% of television and radio broadcasters, and 31% of digital-born outlets blocked OpenAI's crawlers. Similarly, 32% of print outlets, 19% of broadcasters, and 17% of digital-born outlets blocked Google's crawlers. The study also found that news outlets in the Global North were more likely to block AI crawlers than those in the Global South. Once a decision to block was made, no website reversed its stance.
Key takeaways:
- By the end of 2023, 48% of the top news websites across 10 countries blocked OpenAI's crawlers, and 24% blocked Google's AI crawler, according to a study by Reuters Institute.
- Legacy print publications were more likely to block AI crawlers, with 57% blocking OpenAI's crawlers and 32% blocking Google's.
- News outlets in the Global North were more inclined to block AI crawlers compared to those in the Global South. In the U.S., 79% of top online news websites blocked OpenAI, while only 20% did so in Mexico and Poland.
- Once a decision to block was made, no website reversed its stance by unblocking either an OpenAI or Google AI crawler.