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Google’s antitrust win, AI mandates, npm attacks and robots.txt

Sep 25, 2025
Exploring the clash between AI crawlers and web regulation, the panel debates the effectiveness of tools like robots.txt and RSL licensing. They analyze the implications of Atlassian's acquisition of Dia for browser innovation amidst Chromium's dominance. The discussion on Google's antitrust victory reveals concerns over the potential for increased tech consolidation. Supply chain attacks raise alarms about security vulnerabilities, while the contentious topic of AI mandates at companies like Coinbase highlights worries about developer morale and burnout.
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INSIGHT

Web Control Signals Face Practical Limits

  • Robots.txt and new AI license metadata aim to give site owners control over AI crawling and model use.
  • Major platforms warn these signals may fragment data and be hard to enforce in practice.
INSIGHT

Opt-In Versus Opt-Out Depends On Crawler Type

  • The choice of opt-in versus opt-out for AI training crawlers depends on what 'AI crawler' means and how it's used.
  • The panelists stress a distinction between live retrieval agents and large-scale autonomous crawling for model training.
INSIGHT

Browser Innovation vs Chromium Consolidation

  • Atlassian's acquisition of Dia highlights indie browsers being folded into larger companies while most new AI browsers use Chromium under the hood.
  • Panelists worry about Chromium-driven standard adoption even if UI-level innovation continues.
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