The internet began with pages written for humans — but today, it’s agents that are reading your site.
The problem: your content, but not your control
Every website — from blogs to product catalogs — is now being read, parsed, and summarized by agents, LLMs, and crawlers. Most of this happens without permission or context. AI systems scrape your content, mix it with others, and repackage it elsewhere — often without attribution or compensation.
In the same way the early web had uncontrolled bots that hammered sites until robots.txt became standard, we’re again at a crossroads. But this time, it’s not about crawlers — it’s about agents.
The next step after robots.txt
robots.txt told crawlers where they could or couldn’t go. It created order in the search engine era. AOM (Agent Object Model) is the next evolution — a way for websites to tell AI agents what they can understand, how they may use it, and under what terms.
Think of AOM as a programmable standard for human-AI-web interaction:
- Define your site’s AI-access policy — who can read what and for what purpose.
- Mark up your data with agent-readable structure, not just SEO keywords.
- Provide verifiable context so your website is not misrepresented by AI summaries or copied content.
- Allow trusted AI agents seamless integration while keeping others out — your version of “agent-level access control.”
Your site, your rules
Without AOM, any AI can crawl your site and create derivative content based on your effort. With AOM, you own the terms of engagement — agents negotiate data access your way. You decide if an agent can just read, or also reuse, remix, or reproduce your data.
Imagine a future where:
- Product sites publish verified AOM schemas so trusted AI agents can understand product specs safely and accurately.
- News or blogs specify content attribution rules and request licensing terms before use.
- APIs and websites publish unified AOM manifests so that AI systems integrate responsibly — rather than scraping and guessing.
The age of “agent manners”
AOM brings manners back to the AI web. It defines respectful, secure interaction between your digital property and a growing ecosystem of intelligent agents. Just as robots.txt normalized crawler etiquette, AOM will become the language of agent etiquette — structured, declarative, and enforceable.
Start today
Adding AOM to your website is simple — it’s lightweight, open, and extensible. Use AOM Tools to generate your schema, validate, and publish your site’s intent.
Protect your data, guide the agents, and set the rules. Because now more than ever — it’s your site, your rules.
Get started: Getting started · Plugins · Downloads for surface owners · Validator