Top news sites block OpenAI's new SearchGPT web crawling bot

More than 14 major news outlets, including The New York Times, GQ, Wired and Vanity Fair, have blocked access to their content for OpenAI's SearchGPT search engine just a week after its launch.

The decision could affect the completeness and accuracy of search results, and raises questions about the credibility of OpenAI and its data practices.

OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, launched SearchGPT but soon faced blocking from a number of major publications. Originality.ai CEO John Gillam expressed frustration, "Why are publishers blocking the bot? They need that traffic." According to him, this decision came as a surprise to many.

OpenAI claims that their OAI-SearchBot does not collect data to train AI models such as GPT-5, and recommends that site owners allow the bot to operate to improve search visibility. However, lack of access to important sites could reduce SearchGPT's effectiveness.

The New York Times has led the resistance by filing a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. The publisher claims these companies are illegally using its content, undermining relationships with readers and depriving it of subscription and advertising revenue.

A spokesman for The New York Times, Charlie Stadtlander, said, "The Times does not authorize the use of its materials for generative search or AI training without a written agreement."